Nothing is Forever
by Scared-Heart
Summary: Kelsey is a girl whose suffered tragedy from a young age all she wants now is to protect those she loves and be normal She wants to forget her past more than anything but when a past she doesnt even remember surfaces she's going to need the rekai tentai.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: okay, i have rewrote most of this and its a bit longer that it was before. i also dont own any of the YYH characters, i do however own mine. please review or message me with how you like it or constructive critisim. i's really apprieciate it if you let me know how i'm doing. Thanks.

Nothing is Forever

Yu Yu Hakusho

Power and strength; what is the difference between the two? Life and death; what's the difference between the two? Fear and anger; what's the difference? I could tell you the difference or you could tell me. But either way there would be an argument, because we would have two very different answers no doubt. Power is strength some say, is strength the size of your muscles, or how much will you have. What I would like to know is what strength truly is, and what power truly is. Some say Life is a lesson and death is our freedom. But others say that life is one world, and death is another that we enter when one is over. Some even say that life is death, and that death is our life. What I would like to know is what life could bring us, and what death has to offer us that life can not. Some say that anger is the fear on the way out. Some say that anger is love that fears. What I want to know is what anger does to us and why most of us have a reason to fear it.

There are many ways those things can be said, and how they are said is what matters. What we want to know is a whole different matter in itself. Anger, love, hate, sorrow, fear, joy, agony; some of many emotions. Some stronger than the rest, But what? We ask are they for, besides to torture us. To tear us apart bit by bit. So many problems caused from such petty things. That is why I cast them away a long time ago. No I am not a demon, yes I am a human, or so I thought. Let's just say its confusing and a long story so I hope you have time. And all I can say really, is what you cast away sometimes has a way of coming back to you in the end. Whether you want it to or not. Emotions for instance, no matter how hard you fight to keep them away, they have ways of finding you. My name is Kelsey Winebarger. I hate my last name but hey don't we all, I live with it.

So get comfy, this is a long story; and I plan to tell it from beginning to end with out leaving anything out. But I warn you, this tale will piss you off and make you cry, and make you want to stop reading, it may even make you want to kill me. All that is all right; let's just hope you're strong and that you can handle all the trouble, both emotionally and mentally.

Past

My best friend was Mara (May-ra); I had known her for as long as my memory goes. She always seemed to be the only one I had; and most of the time she was the only one I had. I had no one else. No other friends, no loving family. I mean sure I had a family but we weren't tight. There wasn't anything we didn't know about each other. We truly were all each other had. We went to the same school, lived in the same neighbor hood, we did everything together; we even got sick at the same time. So why didn't we die together too.

We had to walk to school there and back, next to a somewhat busy road. And one time we were walking home and we were hyper; then again that was nothing new. So we were goofing off. We were playfully pushing each other and I pushed her back. Maybe a little too hard, she fell into the street and was walking back when a car came, she was laughing until she saw it. I quickly grabbed her hand to pull her back. But I was to slow and it was too fast, it was too late the car had hit her. The car hit her pulling me with her out into the street. I lost her hand, and in that moment it seemed like I'd lost everything, I saw her as she hit the pavement and I watched as the car went over her, and swerve ramming into me. I saw it all as I hit the pavement.

Everything was slow motion, and certain things were heard, like a scream and screeching tires. That and my name was the last thing I heard before everything went black.

I woke up, staring at a white ceiling. At first, I didn't know where I was, but then everything came back all at once, it felt like my heart did a relapse in my chest. IV's were in my arms and a heart monitor told me I was in the hospital. I looked across the hall and I saw Mara, she had wires and tubes connecting to monitors all over the place. The state she was in nearly made my heart jump out of my chest and stop. She was in the bed in the room across the hall from mine. Every time the door opened I saw her, her face pale and full of pain and her breathing was strained. A few days later I was aloud to leave with a concussion and a few bumps and bruises. I didn't want to leave; I wanted to be in the same state that Mara was in, that or worse.

As I was about to leave I looked back at her room one more time. And as soon as I looked away and put one foot out the door, an important tone went flat. My heart froze and a chill ran down my back, I ran back to the room. My worst fears realized as I saw what the monitor was saying. Everything went back into slow motion.

Mara's heart had stopped. The monitor was barley getting a pulse. I ran to her and grabbed her hand, I began to beg and plead with her to stay. Everything felt so surreal like it was a black and white movie, which was set in slow motion. I begged her to keep fighting and not to leave me; I cried and screamed but the sound never reached my ears. It was as if the sound never left my mouth. But she was already gone. I watched my best friend die, and it was my fault, because I pushed her.

Everything just froze to me, like it was a dream, no, like it was a nightmare, which I so very badly wanted to wake up from. I just stared at her, like she was someone I didn't even know. Her face was pale and her eyes were closed so I wasn't able to see the once bright brown, loving eyes had become dull and blank. I just looked at her slowly things started to click back on, as the light and color came back and everything went back to normal. I had just killed my best friend, my only thought 'I killed her, I killer her. If only I didn't push her.' My heart broke; it shattered into a billion pieces to small to pick up. I had killed my best friend, the only person I ever had, and I killed her.

I can't remember how long I cried, screaming for her to come back before I was forcefully pulled from the room and away from her. I kicked and struggled, but nothing worked, she was gone and now I was leaving. I cried for weeks, I lived in the sorrow that was killing me from the inside out. Finally I didn't have anything left to cry. So I sunk into the darkness, letting it eat me up until there was nothing left of me. I cast away my emotion and I became cold and heartless. I was 'mean' to say the least.

I stayed that way. Showing fake smiles never letting my true colors show. That was until 8th grade. When I actually started to show true emotions, I smiled my first real smile in 6 years; and it was all one girls doing.

Her

Her name is Rachel; of course we met at school. We had the same PE period, but we had different teachers. Once the new gym was built all the 8th graders were moved into it, giving the lower class's the old gym. After our stretches and our daily run we would be put into groups and we would play basketball or something. I was grouped with her. I remember her coming up to me telling me her name with a smile. I would tell her mine and that would be it for me. She was a talkative one. And every once in a while I would let her know I was listening my nodding or something, and at a few rare moments she would make me smile.

It amused me, the way her face would light up when that rare occurrence happened. Soon I realized she was unknowingly breaking down every barrier I had up. My emotions were coming back and I wasn't happy about it. Because that would mean the pain of knowing what I did would come back. I kept up with the fake smiles and she always knew when they weren't real. Her face never lit up when they were fake. Then I took the next step, I tried to avoid her as much as I could. I stopped talking to her, I stopped looking at her. And she noticed; I saw her smiles would weaken but never leave. She wasn't giving up, and surprisingly, I wasn't expecting her too.

Something, I don't know what, but something was pulling me back to her. It somewhat felt like she had wrapped a chain around my waist and she was pulling me back to her side. Somewhere deep down I knew it was Mara not wanting me to stay like this. Not wanting me to stay in this dark place and be alone. Slowly I went back to her. I started to smile more; I would even laugh with her. She smiled as if she knew what I was doing; she'd smile at me just like Mara did. It made my heart melt every layer of the cold ice that incased it. She would look at me, and not through me, the same way Mara looked at me. I started to get the message loud and clear. Rachel was my Mara, and I wasn't going to lose this one. If I lost her then I would with out a doubt go with her. I let my barriers fall; one by one they were destroyed.

She became my best friend, and I was back to my goofy self with all the laughter and smiles and with my barriers broken. The emotion was back and the pain wasn't there. I knew that it was covered. It was covered by Rachel and a new barrier as I locked that part of my past away, and the pain with it. I didn't know it at the time but it was her love. That kept me smiling and I loved her back. One serious downside to having more than one emotion and being involved with a group of people. Drama and lots of it; of course the friends I had adored the change in me, but the drama that comes with a pack of girls in middle school. Fights started and girls weren't friends with girls and I didn't pick sides and they decided to pick up and leave me be. Of course they only to come back when things began to get hard for them, and they needed someone to talk to or to protect them. Why me? I always ask why come to me when you need protection.

I knew Rachel wasn't Mara but I still loved her like she was. I finally let go, I let go of that day in the hospital. I finally let go of what I did. And when I did, I felt something surge through me. The sensation brought me to my knees clutching the bathroom counter. I started crying, crying and screaming, so much emotion incased me at that moment. Something stayed back in the depth of my being, I couldn't place it and it gave me a headache. So I let it go. Until high school.

Now

"Rachel~!" I yelled as I ran over to her and jumped on her squeezing her in a hug. I loosened my grip but didn't let go. "How was your Christmas break?" We had just got back to school from winter break. This was the worst time of the year for me. I don't know why really but I just didn't like Christmas. But that didn't stop me from asking. "It was fun. I ate so much though. I think I gained like 20 pounds!" She answered trying to open our locker. I let go of her "Didn't we all." I leaned up against the lockers and slid down so I was sitting on the ground. I looked around for once actually happy to be here, when normally I was trying to ditch or find a way to skip my classes. My eyes caught a group of kids: 4 boys and 2 girls.

I elbowed Rachel-well her leg- I elbowed her leg. "Hey who are they? I've never seen them before." Rachel looked into the mirror that was in our locker at the reflection of the kids. Two of the guys were arguing and the other two were staring at us. The girls were trying to calm the argument not really succeeding. We acted as if we didn't notice them but their stares were a little unnerving. "New kids no doubt. I think there transfer students from somewhere. That short one's kinda cute though, don't ya think?" I looked them over from the corner of my eye as Rachel went through my backpack and got what I needed for my next few classes. Four boys, Two girls, one boy was tall at least 6 ft. with an Orange wanna-be-Elvis-hair style, he had brown eyes. The way he acted kinda signaled he was a total dufus.

The second boy had long red hair, gorgeous green eyes, and was about 5.9" three inches shorter than the other. He was one of the boys that was staring at us and was carrying a textbook. The one that was arguing with the big Elvis-wanna-be one was about 5.7" (my height) and he had black hair that was slicked back with dark brown eyes. Finally, the last boy, the other one who was staring at us, was the shortest of them all, he was about 4.9", but his hair made up for it though as it stood up in a way defying all gravity. His eyes were a red-ish brown, but they were more red than they were brown. One of the girls was shorter than the other with short brown hair and dark brown eyes. Her friend was somewhat tall with long blue hair and pinkish eyes.

"Hn, I think the tall green eyed one is cute, but I don't see why the other one dyed her hair blue. What's the point?" I told her as she smacked my backpack back into my face. "Let's go, walk me to class." The boys had stopped arguing and the other two stopped staring. "Fine, fine, help me up." I held out my hand as she grabbed them and dragged me up. "Lazy butt." She muttered as she walked past the group. "Hey! At least I got a nice butt!" I yelled after her as I ran past the group I slowed and looked at them for a moment and looked at the blue haired female.

"Nice hair, don't dig the pink contacts." Ignoring the flushed almost angered look from her I ran off to catch up to Rachel. I felt the eyes of the unknown new kids on me as I ran off. I didn't like the look on their faces. It looked like they knew something I didn't. That was odd, seeing as I've never met nor seen them before in my life.

I shrugged it off as the I-hate-school feeling came back. I stopped and tried to sneak away but Rachel grabbed my backpack and began to drag me to her class. the new kids were still watching us with interest.

"I don't think so Kelsey, it's the first day back and you're going to class" Rachel said as we neared her classroom at the end of the hall.

"You do realize that my class is on the other side of school right?" I said smartly "I know, and I also know your going" She said strictly.

I made a face like someone stuck a pair of dirty socks under my nose, "but its first period, no one is going to miss me." I continued to try an escape dragging her further from her class and towards the cafeteria where I was planning to reside for the next hour.

Finally after about 20 minutes of struggling she was able to drag me into her class and let go of me, "yeah, your teacher will miss you."

I snorted a laugh as I fixed my backpack straps "yeah right. Plus I have Melbitch (A/N: Melanie, will be introduced and the nickname explained later) in first period." I looked across the room seeing three of the new kids that were in by our locker. They all looked bored. There were only three from the group we saw this morning: the short one Ray thought was cute; the orange headed dumb looking one, and the one with the gelled back hair.

"You were saying?" Ray asked a smile playing her lips. I looked back to her and ignored the three boys, "I was saying that I have Melbitch in my first period and I make no promises to not kill her." the bell rang loudly.

She rolled her eyes "I wasn't expecting you to make a promise. Now go to class, your going to be late" She said and pushed me out of the room.

"But it's just Agriculture! Nothing I don't already know! And besides I'm late because you dragged me to your class!" I yelled at her as the door closed and I looked behind me through the window. The three new kids that were in the class with her seemed different and I weren't sure if it was a good different or a bad different. But the comment I made on Melfuck certainly caught their attention. I turned from the door and began to walk to my class. The bell rang and I smirked. 'Late again Kelsey. What will Rachel say?' I thought then shrugged it off with a laugh, 'who said she'd find out.' I walked into my class and got a few disapproving looks. I ignored them and sat down next to Rosemary and Nara (pronounced Nah-rah).

Receiving a not so pleasant look from the queen of insecurity, and low self esteem. I simply gave her the finger with a smirkish face. She narrowed her eyes in anger and challenge. I gave her a look back that said 'don't even try. You know your gonna lose.' She huffed and turned around pretending to pay attention. Nara who sat beside me and silently watched the nonverbal battle and sighed.

"You're late. Again." Nara said as she put some notes in front of me. I looked over at Rosemary, she was sleeping. Seemed like a really good idea to me. I looked at the notes and sighed. "Yeah, your point?" I asked taking out a piece of paper and my pen, to write down the notes.

"I don't know; I don't have one. But just to let you know I'm not gonna cover for you every time." As she said that out of the corner of my eye I saw _him_. The new kid with the long red hair and gorgeous green eyes. Is it just me or is this group everywhere!

"Hey Nara, who's the new kid?" I asked, my curiosity peaked.

"If you were on time you would've been here to hear his introduction." I turned glaring eyes on her. She normally didn't give a damn if I came to class or not, or when I was late.

She sighed and dismissed my look, "His name is Suichi Minamino. He's a transfer student." I nodded to her looking at him. I looked away when he glanced over and I started on my notes again.

'One down, five to go,' I thought. I screwed around in class throwing bugs we were supposed to be inspecting on the group of girls in front of us. The way they screamed and squirmed was extremely amusing until Rosemary got her daily migraine and smacked me with her notebook to stop it. Before the bell rang she gave us notes to copy for homework, just some more notes on rose pruning or something. I walked out of the class with Nara and Melanie on the other side of Nara.

"Hey Melbitch, shouldn't you be somewhere ruining someone's life?" I asked in a monotone as I scowled at her from the side.

She turned her nose up and "humph. No I just like ruining yours; I'll see you in math Nara," she said in her squealy little voice. She glared at me through her squinty eyes and walked away. I fought the urge to walk over and knock her out just for the hell of it. She was too short and too skinny. Her pale bony face was not attractive at all and she had a horrible overbite. But she was extremely talented in manipulating people for her own gain.

I clenched my fist till my nails broke the skin on my palm. "You know I have no idea why you even tolerate her?" I asked Nara. "You know how she is."

Nara smiled one of her rare smiles at me, "Everyone needs someone Kelsey. One friend can really change a person."

I scowled again the heat from my eyes burning into the people passing us. "I was her friend Nara. It wasn't me who went and screwed things up. If you ask me I don't think she deserves friends, not if she's going to treat them like that." I sighed and turned the corner.

"Hey are you running a fever or something? You temperature just went up and your eyes changed color," she said feeling my forehead.

"No I feel fine, probably just a heat flash. I get them all the time. I'll see you later Nara, Lunch right?" I didn't bother with the eye thing, it's been happening a lot lately, and she nodded and walked with Melbitch to her math class. I scowled again and walked into the locker room and changed for PE.

I hate the locker rooms. This is the place where girls judge you straight to the core of your being. You're either fat or skinny. There's no in between, there's no chubby or slender or bony, just fat and skinny. You're pretty or ugly, no decent, or simple or classic, just pretty or ugly. If you wanted to go somewhere to have you self-esteem brought down a few notches, a high school girls locker room. I didn't know where I stood in their minds because I didn't really pay attention to it. I wasn't fat, but I wasn't skinny either. I was slightly muscled from fights I've been in and the exercise when I'm angry or sad. I had some meat on me because I didn't exactly eat the best foods. So where would I be classified? I dressed in silence as I normally did dealing with the perfume being sprayed in my face, and the rumors floating around. I joined my only friend in the class and left to go to the blacktop where our teacher made us meet for stretches.

"I-HATE-THIS-CLASS!!" I complained to April as we walked into the wrestling room where we would tumble (Me: yeah I really did have to do this. AND I HATED IT!! How people ever do gymnastics, BEYOND ME!). April is another one of my friends.

She just laughed at me, "Yet, this is your best class, besides English." I made a face and she laughed again.

"How is this, my best class?" I asked her. "I can't do a push up to save my life." (Me: also very true. If all I had to do was one push-up correctly to save my life from a giant boulder that would squish me. Well, you know what bugs look like when they hit your car windshield, yes that would be me. Very sad I know) she laughed again. "I'm sure you could if you tried. Its weird how you can stand on your hands, or beat the crap out of someone, yet you can't do a push up."

I stared at her for a short while, "You're laughing a lot today. Are you high?" she scowled at me and pushed me into the cushioned wall. I didn't dare push her back.

"No, and if I was smoken' somethin' you know I'd give you some." She said a smirk playing her lips. A smirk found its way to mine.

Suddenly two boys stumbled into the room, and the teacher looked up at them. "You two must be the new kids?" everyone fell quiet. I hate the quiet.

"Yeah, we are." Said the one that had his hair slicked back. His friend looked at him and i realized that this slicked-back-hair guy was the leader here.

"Well then sit behind April she's in the last row. First what are your names?" He asked them as they sat behind us.

My eye twitched, and I turned to April "He knows there damn names. How stupid is he?" I asked her but she shushed me. "Well we don't, now shush."

"My name is Yusuke Urameshi, that's Kazuma Kuwabara." Then they started to bicker with each other down.

I leaned back on April, "this is gonna be a long day." She nodded; the new ones still stared at me. 'Do I have something on my face or what!?' I thought.

"Kelsey! Front dive roll, two cartwheels, and a round off!" I jumped as his voice boomed in my ear but sighed frustrated. 'Great another reason for people to stare at me!' I got up and did what I was constructed to do. Not perfectly but good enough. I dizzily made my way back to my seat as he marked down my score.

A half-hour passed of the pure torturous Physical Education when we had to go to the track and run two laps around the football field (Me: American football for all you Brits). I leaned half my weight on Aprils shoulder as we both walked to the track with the rest of my class.

"I'm never going to be able to stand up straight again." I stared at the two boys as they ran by us. Kazuma and Yusuke; such strange names. I've learned that those two were total idiots. It seemed they never ran out of energy. April made a face, she's been the best in our class since the year started and now she had competition. Even though those two were constantly competing with each other.

I heard her growl and I smirked "Not the best anymore are you sweet-cheeks" I teased pinching her cheeks. Her scowl deepened as we made it to the starting point of the track.

"Shut up! They won't be for long. And have you noticed that they've been staring at you through the corner of there eyes. And that they seemed to pick up on our unit really fast!"

I cringed. "Yeah I did notice, thanks for the update. And Monthy a hundred people can pick up on our unit that fast. Nothing to get all territorial about." I stood up and waited for the whistle to run.

April smacked my head, "Must you call me that! God I hate it! Why did you start calling me that anyway" The whistle blew and we both started to run.

"Your name is April and it's also the name of a month, and you answered your own question the fact you don't like it, is precisely why I call you that."

* * *

~Hiei's POV~

I looked around at this god forsaken place. In all honesty I had no idea why I was even here. All I knew was it was another case for the idiotic spirit detective and I was dragged along. Again. Stupid Koenma always sent me out on these dumb missions, as though he thought it might make me more loyal to him or some sort of other crappy reason. I sat next to Kurama as I looked around at all these pathetic humans. 'What a waste of time.' However that thought automatically changed when two girls walked around the corner. One was rather interesting; she had long Mahogany colored hair with rich golden red naturally streaking it. She also had eyes that rivaled between maroon and burnt orange only if the light caught them right, otherwise they appeared dark brown or black.

The information Koenma had given us the night before rolled through my mind. But what caught my interest was that she had spirit energy pouring out of her. I doubt she even knew she had it. I sighed, 'Looks like this case is ending rather quickly. We've found them already.' The other girl had short dirty blond hair and green cat-like eyes. She had something odd about her, no doubt about that, but compared to her friend it was much weaker and barely readable.

I looked at Kurama who noticed them as well but never took his nose out of his book.

"What do you think? Is it them we're looking for?" I asked him. My cold voice made Yusuke and the moron, stop fighting and pay attention.

"Without a doubt, I believe it's them. First to make sure we need Botan to make a profile of them and send it to Koenma, before we make any assumptions." His eyes never left them, but his face was turned towards his book.

"Yeah well who cares, about any old profile I say we go up to 'em and make friends. That way they trust us, and not think we're some crazy stalkers." Yusuke and his obnoxious voice blurted out. I winced as I felt a headache coming on. I glared at him but he didn't shut up. I was actually surprised he had even thought about it. "That's a good idea Yusuke but we could also do both, just to make sure." Kurama snapped his book shut as Botan, another annoyance in my book, bounced up to us.

"The profiles are made and sent, it should only be a matter of time until Koenma gets back to us." Her British accent I feared would be a problem if she was going to pass as Japanese. We all became silent as the two girls walked over to us.

"I don't think so Kelsey, it's the first day back and you're going to class." I watched as the weaker of the two pull the other girl who looked rather familiar, too familiar really.

"HA!! SHE'S LIKE THE FEMALE VERSION OF YUSUKE, AND KEIKO IN A DIFFERENT BODY!!!" I winced as that big oaf's voice broke my train of thought. I restrained myself from going over and beating his head into the sidewalk. In fact that was exactly what I planned to do until everyone went silent as the redheaded female stopped in front of us seeming to have escaped her friend.

"Nice hair, don't dig the pink contacts." With that she left and I smirked and looked at Botan as she flushed and almost glared after her. In I find I have to do that a lot. I stood up and looked at the small piece of paper that told me where to go for these stupid classes.

1st period=English

2nd period= Study Skills

3rd period= Spanish

4th period= Algebra

5th period=Science

6th period= Life Education

7th period= Free

(Me: yeah, ok before you go all "NO ITS PHYSICAL EDUCATION!!" well for starters you're right….but that's not what my school calls it and I'm basing this off my school, and just to fill you in I'm basing the characters off people I know.)

I smirked and crumpled the paper in my hand as if I'd stay here that long. Damn missions and now i have to go to some damn school. As soon as i could get out of here i would. Kurama had already gotten up and left. He had some agriculture class. Figures, it's only natural that he'd pick a class where all you have to do is study stupid plants. I doubt there's anything he could learn from it, he probably knows more about plants than that stupid teacher. I walked with the idiot brains to class. Unfortunately for me, they had the same class I did. I walked into the class and took a seat in the back and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, they were there. The one that interested me stopped in the middle of her sentence and watched us for a moment. I closed my eyes, opened my Jagan beneath my headband, and listened in on their conversation as did Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"You were saying?" asked the one that seemed much like a mother hen, a slight smile playing her lips. The other girl---Kelsey if I heard her name right--- her ember eyes turned back to her. "I was saying that I have Melbitch in my first period and I make no promises to not kill her." There was sourness in her voice and with what she just said I would very much so like to get to know her. She sounded interesting and a bit like me. Part of me was hoping she had this class. But the one she was talking to—the mother hen as she appeared to be like Keiko in making sure Kelsey went to her class—all she did was roll her eyes. "I wasn't expecting you to make a promise. Now go to class your going to be late." And with that she pushed her out of the room, with Kelsey trying to say something as the door closed on her.

The girl turned to us and smiled. "Don't mind her, she's a little rough around the edges but she's harmless." Her face changed into one of thought. "Heh, sometimes. My name is Rachel by the way, it's nice to meet you." she smiled at us. Her eyes sparked as if they held electricity.

I nodded at her and fought back the strange and sudden desire to smile back "Hiei, feelings mutual. Who is she anyway?" if I was going to be part of this mission I might as well act the part and get information, even if I did hate it. The sooner this was over the better. She smiled again and sat back down "She's Kelsey Winebarger, she has a bit of a temper and a nasty right hook so don't get on her bad side. According to her, once on it, you're never off it, unless you die or something. Or you somehow get her respect, and that's a hard thing to do. Other than all her bad traits she's really protective and she's really caring, she's a good person and she's been through a lot." Her face became one of sadness and sympathy.

I nodded, "sounds like a certain person I know, you said she had a right hook. Does she spar?" I asked focusing my eyes on the wall in front of me instead of the girl.

"Spar? Haha I haven't heard a term like that before, very old fashion. She does, but not often. And she normally only gets in a fight if someone is severely pissing her off, and/or is hurting someone she cares about. That or she's trying to destroy something that can't feel it. She HATES hurting people, so she tries not to." she gave me a look, "why? Were you planning to challenge her?" I smirked and shifted my eyes her way.

"I plan to test her, so yes challenging her is a definite possibility." She smiled and her eyes sparked again, maybe there was more hidden than I thought. The class started and I zoned out not paying attention to anything.

* * *

~Kelsey's POV~ (normal pov)

"Lunch, finally!!" I dropped my backpack and threw myself down on the table in front all my friends and to my surprise, the two new girls. I blinked in there direction and everything got quiet. "You're the girls from this morning, the one that dyes her hair blue and wears pink contacts!" I looked from her nearly flushed and angered face to the one with medium length brown hair and soft brown eyes. "And you're the one that was scolding the one guy with his hair gelled back! My name is Kelsey, who are you?" my friends were silent which is honestly not normal.

"I'm sorry, my name is Botan, and this is Keiko. We're new here, we've exchanged from Japan." They smiled at me so I smiled back. "If you're from Japan why do you have a British accent?" Before she could answer Suichi walked up to the table.

"Hello, you're in my first period class, is it alright if I join you for lunch?" I felt myself blush from his politeness. It wasn't normal for someone his age to be so polite to others. Then again Botan has said they were from Japan, and Japan was big on respect.

"Um…sure we don't mind. The more the merrier." I got off the table and sat down next to Rosemary whose eyes were blood shot from smoking in the bathroom. I sighed and turned from her, she'd never learn and I've nagged her enough. I introduced my friends to them and they nodded. The introduction of four close friends I had was quick and mainly for Suichi sake since Botan and Keiko had already learned their names.

Rikki a slender girl with long dark hair, and the pride of choir, threw a peanut at my face so I looked at her and threw a half eaten strawberry, she ducked so it hit Kristina. Kristina is a tall skinny thing with long golden brown hair with only one good eye because her left eye was impaired since birth.

She looked up at us from her artwork and sighed, "Guys seriously, do you need to throw perfectly edible food at each other every day?" We both smiled innocently and I turned back to Botan, Keiko and Suichi a pudding cup hit me in the chest.

I glared at Jessica, a blond blue eyed goodie-to-shoo, book worm, "I'd swear you were possessed or something but that would ruin the fun." I picked up someone's apple sauce and chucked it at her. Within minutes there was a food fight that we would no doubt get in trouble for. I smiled at the three of them who had actually joined in, and Botan was sporting a lovely ice cream cone on her head smiled back.

"Don't mind it, we're always like this." Then the vice principal came running from the office.


	2. Chapter 2

**Nothing is Forever**

**Yu Yu Hakusho**

**CH. 2**

**The most annoying sound in the world is not the sound of the constant ding when the driver's side door in a car is left open. It's not the sound of the person in bed next to you snoring, or sirens from police cars and fire engines. The most annoying sound in the world is that an alarm clock going off at 6:00 in the morning. I groaned and rolled over putting my head under my pillow trying to ignore the constant beeping from my alarm clock. Sadly every time I almost fell back asleep to the noise, it either changed or got louder. Honestly its probably just my imagination or the demon clocks determination. Sad thing is, the clock always won. **

**I sighed heavily rolled back over and decided to get some revenge and slammed my fist down on top of the thing. The beeping stopped abruptly and I sighed and rolled back over to sleep. Only five minutes later the bloody thing started screeching at me again! I sat up with a frustrated cry of hatred to the damn thing.**

**"Fine! Im up you damn thing shut up!" I again slammed my fist down on it. This time I succeeded in actually turning off the alarm instead of just hitting snooze. I lifted my fist off the poor abused clock and looked at it. The big angry red numbers read 6:25 AM. **

**"Why does it feel like it should be later than that?" I patted my alarm clock the poor little clock, tough little thing though. I've smashed it; I've thrown it and stepped on it. But the damn thing doesn't die! I even "accidentally" dropped it in the toilet. The damn thing still works! Sometimes it's more determined than I am. I sighed and got out of bed and made my way into the bathroom. I brushed my mass of red mahogany colored hair and pulled it back since I didn't have time to straighten it into a more manageable form. I put on some simple make-up, unlike most girls my age, I didn't spend an hour in the bathroom everyday putting on a billion layers of foundation, blush, mascara and lip gloss. I stayed simple. Eyeliner, one coat of mascara (much easier and cleaner than ten don't you think ladies?) turquoise eye shadow and I'm done. **

**I slowly made my way down the stairs and walked into the kitchen and poured myself a big cup of coffee. I swear if it wasn't for coffee I would be dead in the mornings, along with my alarm clock. I love the coffee, though sometimes the coffee has to rival with the sugar. I can't think of a day where I haven't arrived somewhere in the morning and not having a coffee mug with me. Rachel and Kristina always say that smell like coffee and sugar. I don't really know whether it's a good thing or not.**

**"Hey baby you ready?" my dad asked me walking into the kitchen with the car keys in his hand. I lifted my head off the counter and nodded. **

**"Yeah let's go." I said completely ignoring the 'baby' remark. Let's just say me and my family....well, to put it simply, we don't get along. My mother plays favorites and she favors my brother. She only acknowledges me to yell at me and tell me how I've screwed my life up. My father tried to make up for it, by giving me more attention that I want. I love him more than anything, don't get me wrong. But I'd prefer to get love equally form both parents instead of just one trying to make up for both. I grabbed my backpack and my IPod; with my coffee in hand I walked out the door and got into the car. The small happy green numbers on the unabused clock read, 6:35, again, why did it seem like it should be later than that. Either way it was plenty of time to get there and bug some people.**

*** * ***

**I stood in front of my locker waiting for Rachel to show up, so she could open it, I forgot the combination again, which is really not new. The longest I remembered it 3 days and because Ray was out sick and she wrote it on my hand the day before. I yawned and other than freezing my tongue I watched the white cloud of hot air slowly disappear into the cold. It was Wednesday, and she was always late on Wednesdays, because she had a church thing in the mornings. I looked to my right as Hiei and Suichi walked around the corner. They both had their hands in their pockets, Hiei looked pissed about something, but that's normal. I think? I waved at them tiredly and took a gulp of my coffee. Yesterday we got to talking after school and their pretty cool. Then again exchange students from Japan are pretty interesting. I wouldn't say we were friends but we were getting there. **

**"Aren't you cold?" Suichi asked me when he walked over a sweet smile playing on his lips. He was right, I should have been cold. I was wearing a long sleeved turtle neck and jeans with boots. But I didn't have a coat and in early January its normally very cold in the mornings. **

**I was about to answer him but someone did it for me "No. that girl has ice in her veins, she's never cold." I smiled over in Ray's direction. She was wearing a long sleeved turtle neck a sweatshirt and a jacket with a pair of jeans under a pair of black sweats and snow boots. I honestly wanted to laugh, "you make me sound evil or something. 'she has ice in her veins' besides you look like your dressed for the ice age, not January." She glared daggers at me with those electrifying green eyes of hers.**

**"Well sorry I'm not a space heater like you are!" she pouted then looked at the closed locker and my still empty bag and smiled at me. "forgot the combination again?" I nodded and pushed my bag to her and sat down next to Suichi on the bench some other seniors moved there yesterday. I looked from Hiei who was leaning on a tree and appeared to be sleeping to Suichi who was already pulling out a book.**

**"So, how's your morning so far?" I asked them yawning. **

**"Rather well considering Yusuke and Kuwabara aren't here yet." Hiei answered. **

**I stared at him for a moment. "So you're not sleeping. Plus what's so bad about Yusuke and Kuwabara anyway?" He turned a his gaze on me and a chill went down my spine. "Hey it was just a question. Don't kill me." I tugged on Suichi's sleeve. "protect me?"**

**He chuckled and answered my first question "The morning has been slow for me, this time difference is a bit off from what I'm used to." I could tell he was trying to hide his amusement. So I pushed him a bit. **

**"So I take it that's a no on the protection." I got the result I wanted and he laughed.**

**"I'm a sure a girl like you doesn't need protection. But if you ever need it and I'm around I'd be glad to lend a hand."**

**"what about a foot?" **

**"a foot?" he gave me a quizzical glance.**

**"Yeah! I mean what if you can use your hand, or your hand wasn't good enough. Would you lend a foot instead?" I asked him and lifted the coffee mug to my lips to warm them back from there numbed state.**

**"I see what this is." I smiled with and fixed him a challenging stare. He smiled back and took the bait. "If it came to that point you needed my protection and I needed to lend a hand and my hand became useless then I would use my foot. But what if my foot is useless too?"**

**"Will you two cease your insignificant babbling!" I jumped and glared at Hiei you was glaring at us from his tree. Suichi chuckled and picked up his book.**

**"It's not insignificant! It's a verbal battle and wits! But then again I would guess you wouldn't have any. So to you of course it would be insignificant!" I pouted as his glare intensified. I tried to sip my coffee and looked at the book Suichi is reading. I stared at the two inch history biography in his hand that was written in English, I was honestly surprised how well they spoke English and read it. They have smooth voices that weren't choked up with an accent. I really didn't know much about Hiei's writing or reading seeing as he never even looked at a book or picked up a pen but to be here he must have some skill like the others. Botan had an odd accent of her own and made me wonder if she spent time in London before she came here. Keiko was the same as the others, she was normally quiet unless she had something to say. She wasn't the type of girl to hold her tongue when she had something to say. **

**Most of the time it was to scold Yusuke. I looked at Ray and smiled when she picked up my backpack and as usual replaced my books with the ones I needed for my morning classes. Suddenly the large form of Kuwabara flew past us; my eyes followed his form until he stopped hitting the wall. I winced from the sound of impact and watched him for a moment, it didn't take long for him to get himself together and screech about a cheap shot. Yusuke came around the corner a goofy grin on his face. All I had to think about the subject was how the hell was Yusuke able to hit him that hard, and how was Kuwabara able to recover so quickly?**

**Yusuke however was laughing, "Kuwabara, you think that every hit I land on you is a cheap shot because you suck so badly! But I'll go easy on you from now on if you want! Not that I don't already, so I guess I'll have to easier!" Instantly he was back in Yusuke's face and went on about how he was going to 'smash his skull into the concrete' and his friend was still laughing. I smiled slightly at the his determination.**

**I leaned over to Suichi "How do they have so much energy in the morning? And is it routine for them to always act like that?" I whispered. **

**He shifted his eyes in my direction "Sadly yes." I caught part of his gaze. I blushed slightly and instantly looked away. **

**I stood up and began to walk back to the cafeteria to get some breakfast before the bell rang. That idea was short lived; I was mauled to the ground by Yusuke. I fell to the ground and thankfully landed face first in the grass and not on the concrete; I could hear Kuwabara cheering himself into a frenzy because he was able to send the punk flying. Yusuke made no movement to get up; so I made it for him. I growled and pushed him off me. The laughter of the others caught my attention. I looked over to them my eyes flashed and I turned back to Yusuke and started to repeatedly kick him.**

**"What the hell was that for?" I yelled at him as I kicked him. The laughter quieted and I stared at them. Kuwabara was punching his fists into the air and bouncing around like an idiot. Hiei's dark eyes watched with mild amusement, I was suddenly aware I was kicking the wrong person, and my coffee had just been spilled all over the ground. I looked at Kuwabara and smiled as sweetly as I could; he stopped what he was doing and stared at me. He stiffened and started shaking, he could tell it wasn't a nice smile and he backed up. Suddenly someone jumped on my back; I twisted around to find Yusuke trying to get me in a head lock, and was quickly succeeding.**

**"You were kicking the wrong person! Now you're in for it spunk!" He bent me low and twisted my head into a painful position. He kept one leg wrapped around mine to keep me from using it and I couldn't use my other one without having another painful tumble to ground.**

**"Spunk!? Where the hell did that come from?" I dug my nails deep into his arm and turned my head to an awkward and possibly even more painful position and bit into his wrist. I bit him hard too, and I wasn't about to let go. **

**"OW! Get off! Ok you win!" he said letting go of me, and trying to twist his arm away from me. But now it was his turn to get me off of him. I sank my teeth into his skin until I tasted his blood. Suddenly a need for more came over me, and his pain gave me a sick satisfaction that I wanted more of it. So I bit him harder and let his blood fill my mouth.**

**"Kelsey! Let him go! Now!" Rachel's voice rang out from behind and I realized both Suichi and Hiei were on me trying to pry me off of him and Kuwabara was pulling Yusuke trying to free him. Yusuke had his hand twisted into a knot in my hair trying to pry my head back. I immediately let go of him. As I let go, the force of their pulls easily separated us. However I fell back onto Suichi and Hiei, Yusuke went backwards into Kuwabara's chest.**

**Suichi held onto me tightly as Hiei placed himself in the middle. I was panting hard and his blood was dripping from his mouth down my chin. Rachel was now standing with a frightened Keiko. Botan looked interested as if memorizing something for later use. I looked around me slowly taking it all in. A group of freshman girls had stopped in the hall to watch another group of junior jocks and also stopped to watch. Not counting those just scattered around waiting for what would happen next. I wiped my mouth removing the blood and Suichi moved in front of me as if to hide me from the onlookers. I looked at Hiei who was glaring at me. But it wasn't his normal glare, it was like he was waiting for something. **

**I looked at Yusuke who was examining the damage to his wrist and was trying to stop it from bleeding. I closed my eyes tightly and covered my face. A sudden deep shame and confusion took hold deep into my core. I started shaking, I could still taste his blood and I enjoyed it which only deepened myself disgust. Resisting the urge to cry I picked up my bag and did what I did best. I ran away.**

**"Oh my god, you're actually on time!!" Rosemary yelled out as she saw me take my seat. **

**I winced and closed my eyes, "yes and apparently going deaf as well. Must you yell in my ear?" I said rubbing my ear trying to get the ringing to stop. I was still shaking from earlier but the taste of blood was gone at least and I cleaned up my shirt in the bathroom.**

**"Who are you and what have you done with Kelsey?" she asked her eyes wide. I wanted to tell her she turned into a monster and tried to eat her new friend. But instead i just told her something I would normally say.**

**"I don't know who I am or where she went. Maybe she fell asleep somewhere," I sighed, "or died." I added as an afterthought which I hoped no one heard. Nara gave me a look but didn't say anything. **

**Rosemary flicked me. "No you're you; guess it was just a shock actually having you here on time for once." I stiffened when Suichi came into the class and I turned my head from him. I wanted to break down and sob but I just put my head down on the desk instead. I missed the sympathetic look he gave me like he wanted to tell me what happened to ease the confusion and pain. I felt extremely weak for some reason, as if someone took a pump, hooked it up to me, and sucked all my energy out. I closed my eyes and as if someone turned a switch I was out like a light.**

**Yusuke's POV**

**"Urameshi, that's a nasty bite. Are you going to be okay?" Kuwabara asked as we sat on the roof of the many buildings here at this school. "I mean she might have rabies or something. You'd never know till you went mad." I stared at the bite mark; she was definitely the one we were looking for. Four perfect puncture wounds from her top and bottom teeth, or fangs, and indents from her others.**

**"Yeah I'll be fine, but did you notice her eyes while she had that episode?" I asked him.**

**"Yeah you mean the way they got all orange-ish and freaky lookin'. She could be like an alien or something! That's kinda scary, forget rabies! She could have infected you with alien poison or something!" He worked himself up into a panic. I stared at him and restrained from making a unfriendly comment. He was stupid enough. I sighed heavily; he would have actually said something worth listening to if he hadn't jumped to aliens. He didn't know it, but he was onto something, the wound itself and discolored and was burning.**

**Suddenly and as expected, Hiei appeared out of nowhere on the ledge of the building. I wanted to push him off, I didn't want to deal with any of his crap. He was probably going to go on about stupid ningens and that this mission was a waste of time.**

**He was smirking and glanced at my wrist, "Nice bite."**

**I smirked back, "you should watch yourself or you might get one to match." **

**Hiei's eyes darkened and narrowed. "I doubt she'll get close enough, to try. And even if she does, she'll be the one going home with a bruised pride and body, not me. Humans are weak, especially ones like her."**

**I raised an eyebrow and fixed him with a curious stare. "Ones like her?"**

**He elaborated, "Yes ones like her, they hold back what they know they can bring forward. Then again how can I blame her, she doesn't know what she really has to bring to the table. If she did, and if what Koenma said is true, your arm would be gone."**

**I had to laugh, I couldn't help it. He was so stuck up, he was right of course. If the girl had known what she was doing she could have torn off his arm. Or disintegrated it because by now I was able to tell it was poison making the wound burn, and discolor.**

**I pinched the bite mark curiously and a silvery purple substance leaked out.**

**"What about me? I was human and barely knew what I was doing when i kicked your ass the first time!" I smirked. **

**Hiei glared. "You weren't holding yourself back." he said, looking bored again. "It was my fault you won, i was overconfident, and plus Kurama helped you. Speaking of whom, where is Kurama?" **

**I snorted as I didn't even bother to try and not laugh, "Yeah, right" I replied, clearly unconvinced. "I beat you fair and square, and he went after the piranha, why do you miss him?" **

**His glare only intensified "No, he's part of this mission as well so shouldn't he be here sharing in the torture." The bell rang, a second time. **

**"Awww man we're late for class!" Kuwabara groaned. Hiei vanished and reappeared on the ground and started walking away. "What, not waiting for us, shrimp?!" Kuwabara yelled. Hiei ignored him and kept on walking. I smiled slightly.**

**Hiei was actually taking part in this mission seriously. I always caught him stealing glances at the piranha, or watching her with his Jagan I know we gave him the job to watch her, but not when we were at school. If you asked me he was hiding something from us.**

**Kuwabara interrupted my thoughts. "C'mon Urameshi we gotta go." **

**I leaned back on the buildings wall, "No thanks," I replied "i think I'll stay here." **

**He rolled his eyes at my usual behavior "Fine, see if i care." Kuwabara huffed. I pointed my finger at him like i was going to shoot him with my spirit gun and he backed up. "Uh I know you're not really going to shoot me with that, but I'm going to class because I don't know what that bite did to you. I'll see you later Urameshi." he quickly made his way from the roof and ran away.**

**I gave my still bleeding arm my full attention and I used a small tube Botan added to my detective gear, and slipped some of the purple substance into it. I capped it and sent it to Koenma all the while thinking. Kelsey was really something, cute, in a kick-ass kind of way. She was most definitely the one we'd been looking for, i was sure of that; but her friend was also of interest. Im sent for one and I retrieve two. I didn't need that stupid royal baby-face to tell me that she was the one we needed to watch, it was obvious. Her spirit energy was strong, and the bite had only made me certain that she was the one. The only problem was she didn't seem aware of her powers. **

**So she didn't know how to control them, and she really hadn't meant to bite me that hard. Instincts just kicked in I guess. The problem was she didn't only have spirit energy; she had demon energy as well. Her demon energy was like her friends spirit energy, barely readable. It was her demon instincts that kicked in when she bit me, the blood must triggered something inside her. I think I just woke something up that needed to keep sleeping. I scratched my head, how did she not know how powerful she was? It didn't add up, but i didn't want to think too much about it because it was stupid to wonder about something i wouldn't know the answer to. Plus, all this thinking made my head hurt. I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes. Sleep is nice.**

**An oar cracked down on top of my head, interrupting my nap. "Ow! Botan! What was that for?!" I bellowed and clutched my head in pain.**

**"Your ditching class AGAIN, yusuke? What will Keiko say?" the spirit messenger replied. She was wearing her pink robes like she used to and carrying her oar. **

**I made my voice higher to sound more like a girl "'Yusuke how dare you skip class again!?' something like that and were you just in the Rekai?" I asked curiously. "So," I said pointing a finger in her face "you're kinda ditching too!" **

**Botan rolled her eyes. "Spare me the attitude Yusuke you know I'm not enrolled in this school! I just wanted to see my new victim the other day!" She said cupping her hand over her cheeks in glee. I didn't really care as long as she didn't pick on me anymore.**

**" I just sent some more proof to baby face that Kelsey is the one we're looking for. She bit me and got all excited over my blood." I held out my bleeding wrist and Botan examined it, her expression one of curiosity. "That's not all that happened. She poisoned it too. I sent the sample to Koenma already I'm guessing that's why you're here." **

**She looked from my arm to my face and snapped her fingers. "Uh, oh yes that is why I've come! Koenma sent the sample to the lab immediately and we have the results. It's the venom of a very common snake from the Makai so yes, you may be close to figuring it out if it's really her or not! I myself think you've found her but the Rekai needs to be absolutely certain and the only problem is that's it's a common venom, and anyone over D class can obtain it and use it. Koenma also asks that you keep a close eye on her. The Rekai has been watching her aura and energy signals since the poison sample was confirmed, and we made a most unnerving discovery. The pattern is far from normal and very touchy, so something is disturbing it. Her signals need to be back to normal soon or this mission will be over very soon and will be a total and utter failure. Do you understand Yusuke?**

**I nodded "Yeah, but how do I get the patterns back to normal if I don't know what's causing the abnormality?" **

**Botan looked both annoyed and worried, "We're still working on that. So far all we have to go on is her emotions. After what happened this morning her signals spiked and are very high for a normal girl's embarrassment to cause. They're out of control, so right now your mission is to calm them, make her happy!" Botan looked at the watch on her wrist and nearly fell over. "Oh my goodness, I'm late to a meeting with Koenma, and the next class is about to start!" She sat back down on her ore and raised herself into the air. "I'll see you later Yusuke. Have fun now, and don't fail us!" with that she was gone and the bell rang.**

**I sighed, "yup, I'll have fun. Messing with a girls emotions is always fun. Especially the injuries that normally come with it." I stood up on the roof and watched all the students fill the hallways. When I saw Kurama I didn't see Kelsey. I looked around and saw her quickly making her way off school grounds. I smiled, 'so she's ditching the rest of the day. I guess I'll have to follow her and ditch too!' I made my way down from the roof and unseen I followed her off the grounds but stayed back a distance from her. I needed to time this right.**

**Kelsey's POV**

**After first period I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't even look at Suichi and those who saw what happened wouldn't stop staring at me. As soon as the bell rang I took off and ran from campus hopefully unseen. I know Nara would be mad at me, and I would owe an apology to the others. I also knew I had to deal with my mother screaming at me tonight. I increased my pace as I walked home. I was almost running now. I lived about 3 miles from the school, but the road I had to walk wasn't exactly safe. But I've walked it over a dozen times and I wasn't as worried as others are. What happened this morning was torturing me. What the hell happened to me? As much as I wanted to know I didn't want to at the same time. I'd return to school tomorrow deal with my friends' wrath and apologize to Yusuke if I could face him.**

**I was still far from home and I had a lot to think about. And I didn't want to think about it. I wanted to cry but I didn't, what would crying do. I rubbed my temples to relieve the head ache that was starting. I really just needed to calm down and relax. I passed my one mile mark and sighed as I had two more to walk. I wonder what will make the time pass faster. I pulled out my IPod which was always on shuffle and got lost in my music. I was listening to 'my only hope' when I had the feeling I was being watched.**

**I stopped and looked around me. A car passed and I took my ear buds out and looked around again. I slowly started walking again but I couldn't shake the feeling. **

**"Hey, are you running away?" I turned around fast and nearly fell over. I choked off a scream when I saw it was Yusuke. **

**"Damn it Yusuke! Im going to kill you!" my hand was on my chest and I tried to calm down. **

**"Well I'm not sure you can do that, but you can always bite me again." He smiled at me as if it's been a joke for a long time. I held my tongue and felt as if I've been stabbed. **

**"I-I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to hurt you. Why are here?" I started walking again my hand in my pocket.**

**"Its fine. Trust me your not the first one to try and take a bite out of me." He paused for a moment to think about what he just said and I tried to control my laughter. "Wow that sounded wrong. Anyway I saw you take off in a direction that wasn't exactly toward the classrooms. So where are you going anyway?"**

**I sighed and watched for the 2 mile marker. "I'm going home. I may live in the sticks but that doesn't mean I can't walk home. I have about a mile left to walk."**

**"I guess I get to see where you live then. Besides I'm starving and we're missing lunch. I also don't have a clue as to where I'm going or where I am. So I have no choice but to follow you and you have no choice but to let me follow you." He smiled as if he said the smartest thing in the world. I groaned and dropped my head but smiled anyway. **

**I was already feeling better, "sure, not like anyone will miss us right?" then I thought of something. "Wait aren't you in some exchange program? Won't you get in trouble?"I stopped walking again and looked at him.**

**"Nope, the place I'm staying is cool. They don't care all that much." He walked past me and I stared after him. I sighed not really believing him but for the sake of not starting something I let it slide and ran to catch up with him. The time passed quickly as he told me about Japan and how he was a street punk and was already skipping his classes and barely went to school.**

**"So when they said I could go overseas in a language program I really thought they'd gone bonkers." He laughed. "But then I figured those guys had really just gotten sick of me so they shipped me out of the country! My mom didn't care that much, she was drunk all of the time anyway I highly doubt she knows I'm gone." I frowned as he smiled on and told me about his no-show father and his alcoholic mother. I looked up the long driveway up to my house and sighed. I wanted to change the subject, and badly.**

**"Are you still hungry?" it was really a very stupid question to ask. Because out of everything I knew about the opposite sex, other than the fact they were complete pigs, is that they are always hungry. **

**"Hell yes!" he ran up the long drive to the white two story house and I sighed. I just hoped no one was home. I ran to catch up with him and opened the door for him. I dropped my bag by the front door and called out. No one was home, good. Yusuke dropped his bag in the same spot but made himself at home and look around. While he explored I made my way into the living room and behind the bar to grab some cup noodles. While I was filling them with water I heard a loud yell from upstairs and suddenly there was a Bantam rooster flying around the kitchen trying to avoid Yusuke's grasp. I couldn't help myself; I grabbed the rooster and started laughing. **

**"Y-you're afraid of a chicken!" I held my sides as I sunk to the kitchen floor and laughed harder. **

**"I am not!" his defense only me laughed harder. "The shit head tried to attack me when I opened your bedroom door! Why do you have a rooster in your room anyway? **

**When I sobered I gave the tiny rooster a kiss and set him loose outside. "He wasn't in my room this morning. He must have come in through my window looking for food." I took a moment to control my laughter again. "His name is Diablo, and trust me he's harmless. Although he does chase the neighbors, and animal control has had to come out and tell me to keep him penned up. The neighbors claimed I had an attack chicken." I put the noodles in the microwave and soon Diablo came back in through the window and went after Yusuke. My laughter along with Yusuke's curses and threats filled the house. I think I found my new best friend. **

**Koenma's POV**

**I sighed in relief as I looked over the charts that displayed on the screen. Her energy and her aura were coming in on normal patterns now. Whatever it was the detective was doing it was working. I took a seat at my desk and rubbed my temples. This girl was more troublesome than I thought. But the situation just couldn't be ignored any longer. What I hadn't expected was that she was developing so quickly. Much quicker than Youko ever had. What made it worse was that she isn't aware of it. I looked at the map that came up on the screen and watched the different colored dots. The red ones were demons, the white ones humans. The darker the red the more powerful. But the color of this girl's dot was a very bright pink. What on earth was that supposed to mean!? Was she powerful or not, demon or human? Then again Youko's dot had been an odd color too, but not so odd that no one could figure it out. **

**The only thing this is doing is making my head hurt worse. This case is much more sensitive than Yusuke's case has ever been. The detective's case was actually rather simple; well the mazoku part was rather difficult. This reminds me, I need to inform him about that before it becomes a problem. But the point is, everything that came up on him was clear! His dot on the map always came up blue indicating he has massive amounts of Spirit energy. Sometimes his dot turned green indicating his mazoku blood stirring when his life was in danger. **

**Maybe the dumb map has gone sexist and made the dot pink because she was a girl. That's the stupidest idea in the history or ideas! **

**"Ogre!" and soon enough the ogre known as George came running in and as usual he was panicked and jumpy.**

**"Yes, Might Koenma sir?" he clasped his hand together as he half bowed before me. **

**"Have this map checked for any malfunctions!" I boomed the command at him for extra effect. **

**"Yes, Mighty Koenma sir! Right away!" and the ogre ran through the door again and the map left the screen. I picked up my stamp and starting stamping the papers that again have become a mountain beside the desk. My job never gets any easier does it! And it doesn't help that I barely know more than my team does. Oh if Botan finds out that I'm calling it as we go again she'll give me spankings herself. I gulped at cringed at the image of my precious behind getting beaten on by that ore of hers. Fear overcame me. **

**"Ogre! Forget the map, take that girls ore away!" I jumped from my desk and flew out the door after him in a frenzy to save my behind. **


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: im so sorry it's taken me so long to get this out. but now that its summer i should get them out more quickly. hopefully. review and tell me how it is. also go check out my poll and help me out with the next one. thanks and enjoy!

Nothing Is Forever

Yu Yu Hakusho

**Rachel's POV**

Light was everywhere, lights of all colors. They took different shapes and sizes; they came from every direction. If I didn't know better I would swear I was being attacked by it. It was so bright I couldn't see a thing. I needed some darkness, a small bit just for a moment. I ran, and ran as fast as I could in any direction-all directions; I just needed the darkness. Make the lights go away, the colors, just make it go away! Then suddenly I got my darkness, but I was falling. I could see again; it was dark except for the lights above me.

They stretched for me almost like hands reaching out to grab me, to pull me back. I looked around me it was all black and I was falling. But I wasn't falling anywhere. The lights never got farther away, but they never came closer. I called out, but my voice echoed and became lost in the nothingness. I called out again but my voice was a whisper, the more I called out the less my voice became. I tried to scream, try to get anything to hear me, so I wasn't alone.

But I was alone, and suddenly the lights vanished and the blackness closed in around me. I reached out to stop it and charged blue lights shot out from me. A lightning bolt struck out into the darkness giving me a temporary light. I started to shake, the light filled me, charging my core with heat and I felt it fill me surround me; it was taking control of me. I was changing, something was changing me and it hurt. It stung and shocked me, the lightning shot out from me again. I screamed and this time I was heard, loud and clear. I screamed and screamed only to hear my voice echo.

Then I was above a strange world. I looked down upon vast waste lands of desserts then lush forests. Water moved dangerously, the dark depths holding terrible secrets. The air smelled of blood and rotting flesh. Then it was gone and I was running, just running with a need to do nothing but run. I was crying and running but I didn't know why. Suddenly I was falling again, off a cliff into water.

My alarm went off precisely at 5:30. I shot up from my bed breathing hard and sweating. My legs hurt and my throat was sore. I looked at my clock and took a deep steadying breath. I reached over and turned on my light and rubbed my eyes. Then I turned off the alarm. I took another deep breath and got out of bed, I felt light for some reason like I've been carrying something heavy and dropped it.

I threw my covers back over my mattress straightening them so they looked nicer and walked into the hall bathroom that I shared with my brother I looked in the mirror and groaned. It didn't look like id gotten any sleep at all. I had dark circles under my eyes and my dark hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in months. I brushed the short strands until I was able to run my fingers through it. I looked at myself again and made a face.

"Ugh, ok morning face, time to go away…." I leaned down and splashed cold water over my face to help wake up. A few minutes later I was awake dressed and finishing some homework at the kitchen table where my dad waited with his coffee for the eggs to be done. My younger brother Cole was just coming down the stairs and in his pajama's no less.

I looked up at him when he sat down and sighed, "Are you seriously not ready?"

"Shut up, Rachel." He glared at me and proceeded to rub his eyes and yawn.

"You're going to make us late if you don't hurry up."

"I said shut up!" I smiled in triumph when he stormed off. By the time we left it was around 6:00 and I got to the school with enough time to get to my locker and socialize. I was half hoping that Kelsey would be there but wasn't surprised when she wasn't. She was in one of those moods again, but still she needed to come to school. I wish I could call her, but my mother has my phone turned off during school hours, and thanks to an episode with the agriculture department and Kelsey losing her temper with my mother, I've been forbidden to talk to her. So my refusal of that resulted in her number being blocked and limited time on the computer.

It still amazed and amused me at the amount of boldness that girl had in her. Although at this point I shouldn't be, for heaven's sake the girl will race a train across a bridge at her grandmother's house. But I was the type that broke out into hives when to came to doing anything dangerous and or rule breaking. I can't yell at my parents let alone raise my voice at my littlest brother Zack; I just didn't have it in me. But Kelsey, she let lose quite a bit, but she did have a right too; kind of. It was common sense to close a gate to a farm.

I'll admit though that it pisses me off when I can't talk to me best friend out of school, and then she doesn't even show up. But I did know who did talk to her outside of school. Nara, she was always around and I swear she hates me. But I never did anything to her, at all. But then again I haven't done anything to make her like me either. The only thing we had in common was that we didn't like each other, and Kelsey was our best friend. I look my time walking to class then stopped when I spotted Keiko.

"Hey, you look peeved about something. What's up?" I dropped my backpack at my feet and smiled at her. She warmly smiled back but still looked extremely irritated.

"Oh it's just that Yusuke isn't at school again. He's going to get in a lot of trouble with the school back at home, not that he isn't in a load already."

"What's that mean?"

"It means he's always skipping class or not showing up. How he got into the student exchange in the first place is beyond me. Probably the school just getting rid of him or something." I would have laughed but the seriousness on her face stopped me.

"I doubt that the school wouldn't just ship him off for nothing. And Kelsey isn't here either she hasn't been since she took off Monday." I tried that to ease her mood but for some reason her temper flared.

"Great now he's getting other people to ditch with him! Oh when I get my hands on him ill, I don't know what I'll do, but it will be bad!" she had her fists clenched tightly and shaking and I took a step back.

"Kelsey isn't so good with keeping with school program either, she attends enough to keep the school board off her back, but when she gets into a mood she doesn't exactly put much effort into showing up. But of course I never know these things because she doesn't get to talk to me much. My parents don't exactly like her all that much; it's a bad influence thing." I stopped talking and bit my lip. I hadn't meant to that spill but she was easy to talk to.

"Wow, I'm sorry. That must be really hard on your friendship." Softness came to her eyes and I smiled.

"Sometimes it is, like now for instance when she doesn't bother to show up and I can't contact her. What about your parents and Yusuke, do they like him at all?" I was curious and wanted to know if my parents weren't the only freaks around the block.

"My parents love Yusuke; we met when we were five so we grew up together." She locked her hands behind her back as we walked.

"So it's a childhood romance. That's so sweet; I think a lot of girls are jealous of you. You kind of have a story book love. The boy and girl grow up together all the while falling in love and sooner or later they have to face it and be together." Her face lit up like a pink night light.

"What do you mean romance?" she stopped walked to nervously kick her feet. "There's no romance between us. We're just friends; we have been for a long time. That's all."

I smiled and nodded, "oh sorry, it's just the way the two of you act sometimes."

The rest of the morning passed just talking and joking until the bell rang and we both had to part ways with promises to talk more at lunch. I had hope that Kelsey would show up later maybe during second so that I could at least tell her about the developing friendship with Keiko, but when seconds period came and went and she wasn't at break, I started to get fidgety. I knew she had to come in today because it was Thursday and she had to be up at the farm with Nara to take care of her chickens.

Damn it I wish my phone worked, stupid paranoid parents trying to rule my life. I tapped my desk impatient for the bell to ring because I needed to catch Nara before she got to her advanced 3D design class. She of all people must know when she'll show up. I checked and rechecked my home work assignment closing the notebook for the last time and shoving it into my backpack and watched the clock. Nara's class was all the way across the campus and I had to get there before she did so I could dig out my answers.

As soon as the bell rang I was out of the class room, but I didn't get far. Lights! So many lights, so many colors I was blinded by it. I put my head down and rubbed my eyes then looked up again. The lights were gone; there was just morning sunlight and all the students. I guess I just got up to fast. I quickly made my way to the art classed and smiled seeing the woman I wanted just as she was going into her class room. I grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the door the instantly let go feeling immediate hostility.

"Where's Kelsey? I know you know, so don't even try lying to me." I tried to discreetly gulp air into my lungs without making it obvious how hard I worked to get across campus to her. As I established earlier she didn't like me, I don't know and don't really plan on knowing. She looked at me blankly; more like she was looking through me then a deep darkness filled her eyes turning them icy and almost white. For a moment I had the fleeting feeling to run because I was in danger. I stepped away when those dangerous eyes narrowed on me. I knew I felt hostility.

"Kelsey called me at break; she says she will be here after sixth. I suggest you back off a bit Rachel; you may suffocate her with all you're prying. Now if your excuse me I have an Art class to attend." Almost like smoke she was past me and in her class room I had to take a few moments to register what she said. I looked into her classroom as another student went in, typical art class, clay was all over the place, it was sparkly with glitter and everything was covered in some sort of drawing carved into either wood or metal, and splattered in paint.

I huffed and ran to my next class. I needed to find someone with a phone. I wander if Hiei or Jackie has one. Now that I thought about it, Kelsey and I had very different friends. Maybe that's because I was in band and she was, well she was all over the place. I just wish I could call her! I can't just trust whatever Nara says. She knows she drives me insane when she blanks on me. I swear she does it on purpose just to watch me squirm, and what the hell was Nara saying about suffocating her with prying? I just want to know what going on. I didn't come back from my ranting thoughts until I ran straight into the door to my math class. I held my nose to make sure it didn't start bleeding and I took my seat in class. When I was sure I wouldn't need to go to the bathroom I let go of my face. I knew my nose was bright red because it was burning and I'm sure my cheeks were the same color. At least half my class saw me hit the damn door.

I began to dig through my backpack and pulled out my binder and my book. I opened my binder and looked at my paper then to the board to make sure I did the right assignment. A habit I had, that drove most people (mainly Kelsey) crazy. I did the right assignment and I snapped the rings open shocking myself. I yelped and waved my hand around. Static electricity? I looked at my hand for a moment then I felt a strong wave of déjà vu. I cautiously poked the shining silver rings and when it didn't shock me I opened them pulled out my homework and snapped them shut.

I snapped them shut on my pinky. I swear inanimate objects had it out for me today. I pulled my pinky free and placed my bleeding finger in my mouth and whimpered. I had a strong feeling this was going to be a bad day, or at least a weird one. I looked around the class to see who was here and who wasn't. A few people were absent none that I knew. I smiled and waved to Jackie and Taylor. Then I spotted Hiei in the back corner with his feet up on the desk. His eyes were closed and his headband was in place. A single notebook and pencil lay on his desk.

He opened his eyes and looked at me; I blushed and turned around sinking into my chair. I was so going to get hell from Jackie and Taylor for that later. I felt like I was being watched, my cheeks flushed at the thought I could feel them burning me again. Was he watching me? I turned around again but his eyes were closed, I looked at Jackie who was watching me. I glared at her and turned around again.

I tried to relax and focused on the board and what the teacher was saying. I wrote notes copied assignments and eventually turned my mind around. It was just a crush right? I've had lots of crushes on boys none were like this though, getting looked at never made me look complete focus on anything. No, this wasn't anything serious. I wouldn't let it be. Soon enough yesterdays homework was corrected and passed back today's word was explained and we were in groups to help each other work on the class assignment.

"Stop looking at me like that, jeeze!" I tapped my pen on the paper but Taylor's and Jackie's looks didn't cease. "Oh fine go ahead, get it over with."

Wide grins broke out on their faces and at the same time they started to sing. "Rachel and Hiei sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" they giggled as my face burned.

"You are so smitten!" Jackie jabbed me with her pencil. "You're about as ripe as tomato!"

"And with the foreign bad boy too! Wow Rachel, we didn't think you had it in you to fall for the bad boy type." Taylor smiled and she twirled her pencil in her hand.

"Oh but Tay-Tay the good girls always do."

"So very true Jay, we should have known it was going to happen!" Oh they were both enjoying my pain way too much.

"Will you two leave me alone and be quiet! I can have a crush, its completely normal! Im not going to marry him or anything jeeze." I pouted and lifted up my book to hide behind. It was meager protection from the ruthless duo.

They pulled the book away and giggled, "Yeah but you want to!"

By the time I finally escaped the two of them I was pretty sure that I didn't have any blood left in my body. It was all in my cheeks! You never know how ruthless your friends are until they find out you like someone, because that's when they dig in and rip you apart. I started to my next class before lunch and then Kelsey should be here. But currently she wasn't really what was on my mind, a certain maroon eyed boy was.

There were so many rumors going around about him, and in just one week. He was in a gang with Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama. Also they seemed to be mutants or something, people with powers. They had amazing speed and strength, they killed for fun. The thought amused me greatly because I couldn't for the life of me imagine anyone of them killing anything except a fly. Sure they all had a dangerous air about them, but that didn't mean they were cold-blooded killers. I couldn't seem to find anything to get my mind off him.

But all that stopped when I went into fifth period band. I loved band, the flute was my passion. I walked into the band room, the walls lined with trophies and medals some dated back sixty years. This was an old school and these shiny reminders never let me forget it. I was just one of a few thousand to walk through this room, and admire the music and work that went into getting those trophies and being the pride of the school.

Two of the trophies from freshman and sophomore year I helped put on these walls and I had a great sense of pride for it. We may not throw a pig skin ball around and get beat up, and we defiantly don't wear skirts and flip through the air, but us band geeks we hold our own. I pulled out my flute from its case and put it together and took my seat in front of the music stand and practiced a bit.

"Jackie I don't suppose I sound so utterly terrible today." My black haired friend looked up at me from a seat in front of me.

"No I suppose you don't. But you should still practice. You'll never be better than me, and if that's how you plan to win over your bad boy I think you need to reevaluate your situation. There might be time to switch to a guitar or something." She snickered and cleaned her own flute. I jumped slightly when a brown curly haired head popped up beside me. "Excuse my interruption, but who here has the solo?"

Jackie turned around and stared at Megan then pouted, "You're just mean, you know that? Besides you're a senior you have one year on us."

I tapped her head with the end of my flute, "Exactly! Which means you don't count in our bitter race to who's better than whom?" Her face dropped and I couldn't help but smile. "Aww don't feel too bad, you did get the scholarship to Yale's Music program."

She smiled and a glow of pride came to her, "Yeah, which means I'm better than the both of you combined!" She laughed and threw her hands up when both Jackie and I threw our music books at her. "Wait, did Jackie say you were seeing someone?" I groaned and wish I hadn't thrown my book so I could have hidden behind it.

The room was full of laughter and soon was full of music. Lunch came with spaghettio's traded for raviolis and Dr. Pepper traded for Pepsi, and then went with full bellies and burps. I put away my flute and headed to my last class. My last class of the day Hiei was in, I caught myself watching him to many times for my comfort. Then the other times I couldn't concentrate on anything at all. Lights were coming off of people, in difference colors.

I'd see one come off someone then take a second glance and it would be gone. I was getting a head ache and my eyes were starting to hurt. Finally the bell rang, and I started up to the farm located behind the school. As I passed the football field I stopped to watch the track team practice. I watched the sprints and the dashes and sighed, wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to look and run like that? I started to walk again then stopped. The lights again, they all had them. I frowned when they vanished then tried harder to see them again my head started to hurt. I was beginning to get irritated, tricks of the light it might be but it was still annoying.

Getting closer to the farm the smells came to me, ugh now I remember why I came so little. The smell of pigs and cow dung was over whelming, and made me sick to my stomach. I noticed Kelsey's bike and smiled, I rattled the gate to get her attention since I didn't have the combination to open the lock and let myself in. I peeked through the fencing to watch them, Nara, and Yusuke was there with her. Maybe I should call Keiko let her know where her knuckle head is, but then my phone was still off until 3:00. Sometimes I really find my parents annoying.

I rattled the gate again, "Kelsey, open up!" I leaned against the fence and watched through holes, from what I could see of her, she had one of her hens in her lap and upside down.

"Give me a minute Ray!" her voice was slightly mumbled, probably due to whatever she was holding in her mouth. I was patient enough to wait, but I didn't miss their exchanges.

"Nara, go let her in."

"Why should i? She's not supposed to be up here anyway."

"Then I guess I should make Yusuke leave. He's not supposed to be up here either, and at least she doesn't harass the animals like he is currently doing." I heard the click of something and looked through at a different angle to see she had a small bottle with a medical label on it.

"There's a difference between Rachel and Yusuke."

"Mhm and what's that? Besides the obvious." I smiled noticing how her voice carried a dull note to it; and she didn't look up once as she concentrated on the hen in her lap.

"I like Yusuke. I have an idea, why don't you go let her in and let me give the chicken the vaccine!" the fake enthusiasm in her voice almost made me sneer.

"Too late, I'm already done. How about I go let her in while you get the next chicken, k?" I heard the chicken squawk and start clucking as she let it go. The gravel crunched under her feet and I turned and smiled at her when she opened the gate.

"Should I yell at you now or later?" I dropped my backpack on the inside of the gate and looked around. Barns and gardens and few fenced in squares for the animals to exercise in. "You know it doesn't smell any better here than the last time I was here."

"Well it's a farm; I don't think it will ever smell very good. Besides you're not here enough to get used to it; and the winter rain doesn't help. We're giving the animals a vaccine today, sick season and all we don't- Yusuke get out of the pig pen!" I jumped at the unexpected outburst and looked over to where Yusuke and quickly jumped back over the wall rubbing his head innocently. I stiffened up, for some reason Kelsey's irritation was making the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

What was wrong with me today, all these weird feelings? Not to mention my eyes have been playing tricks on me with the light. I sighed and looked at her closely as she scolded Yusuke about harassing the pigs. They both had it, the strange lights around him. Except Yusuke's light was different; it was smaller and close to his chest, almost like it was hiding. Curiously I turned to Nara; she was focusing on giving a hen a vaccine going through her feathers. She had a light too, and it was the same as Yusuke's, small and hiding.

I walked up to the coop and sat down in the grass waiting for Kelsey to be done smacking around Yusuke and boredly watched Nara poke the chickens with needles.

"Stare somewhere else, you annoy me greatly." She didn't even look at me once, and her tone was so flat and dull I straightened my back.

"Oh, well forgive me. I didn't know I wasn't allowed to watch a chicken." I couldn't help but sneer at her. I haven't done a single thing to make her dislike me. But then again I've never really done anything to make her like me either.

"Considering the chicken is motionless and receiving a shot, there's nothing for you to watch. And I'll answer the question you asked Kelsey earlier about yelling at her. I suggest you don't, she's already annoyed as it is and she doesn't need you annoying her further."

I just stared at her in shock, she had the nerve. I felt my muscles tense as I braced for something. I had an overwhelming need to pull my lips back and snarl. I hadn't actually planned to yell at her, find out why she's been absent yes, but yell at her no. The worst part was that I couldn't even say anything back. All I could do was watch her put the chickens' away picks up the used needles and what was left of the medicine bottle and disappear into the supply shed. I didn't notice Kelsey walk back and I whispered a curse.

"Excuse me?" she made me jump and I felt my face burn again.

"N-nothing, I didn't say or do anything." I turned away from her and my put my nose in the air hoping she wouldn't push. But of course hoping Kelsey doesn't do something is basically telling her to do it and pushing her in.

"Nu-uh, I heard you missy, you cursed! You actually said a bad word! No! You said two bad words!" I closed my eyes and covered my face because I could only feel it get hotter. "You said 'fuck' _and_ 'bitch' together!" I took a deep breath, slightly ashamed of myself for sinking low enough to call her names.

"Yeah so, you curse all the time." I pouted at her.

"Yes I do. But you miss perfect, are like a saint. You never do anything bad and when you do, it's like you walk around whipping yourself. Which reminds me, Nara hide the crops!" I hated it when she took things in such stride, making everything casual. It always made my temper deflate.

"I hate cursing, gives me a bad taste in my mouth." I leaned back into a fence post ignoring a goat's protest.

"Yeah, it's a bad habit. So what exactly did she do to piss you off?" she watched Yusuke sit down, then sat on him and looked at me. I just stared at her for a moment, and looked between them. They looked perfectly normal, as if she sat on him all the time. I shook my head and looked off to the green houses. "Seriously, I know the two of you don't get along, but what did she say to you?"

I shrugged, "she said I should leave you alone and that I'm being an annoyance to you." I watched a few students fuss over a few dried up plants. I noticed one of them was Suichi, and I smiled.

"Hm, well you are an annoyance." I felt my chest squeeze and looked up at Nara as she came from the shed, most likely gloating her victory. "But then friends are the annoying ones you tolerate." She smiled at me and I couldn't help steal a glance at Nara. Stealing a victory was sweet. I looked at Nara as she picked up her bags. "Where are you going?"

"Not that it matters to you but the buses are arriving and I'd like to get home." She picked up Kelsey's back when she cursed and went into the shed. I waited silently with Nara, and watched Yusuke go to the green house. I picked up my bag and started to the gate while Kelsey got her stuff. Normally I would have waited for them, but something felt off. So far off I had to walk away. A shiver went down my spine and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Something was here, something horrible that made my stomach ache.

I felt watched, I stopped at the gate turned around and Kelsey and Nara were already half way to the gate, talking about something. I watched them closely, didn't they feel it? The hostility in the air, didn't they feel stripped and exposed? I wanted to run, but I couldn't. I scanned the barns and sheds, but the only thing there were students and animals, all of them grazing and working. It must be that I'm tired, I didn't sleep well and the day has been weird.

But something tightened in my stomach, warning me not to brush it off. But what else could I do, nothing was there. I walked silently next to Nara and Kelsey, listening to them talk about their record books and receipts for medicine and feed. I honestly had no idea what they were talking about and wasn't in the mood to ask questions. This wasn't my place anyway, it was Kelsey's. Band was my place, and right now I just wanted to pick up my flute and play away my troubles.

By the time I got home, I had a head ache and was exhausted. But the first thing my mother did was bagger me about my day. "Mom its school, nothing ever changes about it. We get up early we go to class, get homework and then go home."

"Tell me what's going on at least. What's new in band, anything coming up? Are you caught up with your homework? What about tests?" she pushed standing by the counter the apron barely concealing her growing belly.

"The winter concert is coming in a few weeks. I haven't had any tests, considering it's the first week back. What did the doctor say? Everything where it's supposed to be?" I pushed my half eaten sandwich around my plate.

She smiled and rubbed her belly, "Everything is fine, it's a boy and your father and I are thinking Mathew." I sighed, another brother. Great.

"Why don't you give me a sister for once?" I pushed my food away and leaned back in my chair. What I really wanted was to go take a nap before I started on my homework.

"You know I don't choose the sex of the baby. That's all your fathers doing. Go talk to him about it. If you're done eating go do your homework."

"Fine, shoo me away." Being excused from the presence of my mother I walked up the stairs to my room and fell on my bed. At the moment it was more comfortable then it has ever been. I fell asleep in minutes, and I dreamed of a monster.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: its out, and when i actually planned on it being out too. please review!

* * *

Nothing is Forever

Yu Yu Hakusho

4

Kelsey's POV

Viewing the world upside down gave you a whole new prospective on things, almost like looking down on the world from a plane. A new way of seeing it for what is it, makes you have to really look at it. But seeing as how I was standing on my head listening to a yoga tape and reading a book all I saw was under my bed. And it really needed to be cleaned out. I leaned one hip to the side shifting my weight onto one of my arms so I could change the page. I was shifting my weight back when my door burst open scaring the shit out of me.

I jumped and fell straight over slamming my shins on the foot of my bed, sending shots of tingling pain up and down my legs making my toes burn as I curled them.

"Son of a bitch! What the fu-"

"Don't even think of finishing that sentence, young lady. Why weren't you at school again today?" my mother walked through my room picking up clothes while she was at it. I didn't answer her too busy being curled up in a ball holding my shins hissing in pain. "Well are you going to answer me or not? Either way your ass is grounded, and I'm taking you to school every day for the next 2 weeks so be prepared to get up at 5:00."

I looked up at her my vision blurred by tears the pain caused. Did she not see I was in pain? She's a nurse so she should see that. Yet all she cared about was my laundry and school. Then again she was probably so used to seeing me get hurt she didn't think anything of it. Which was sad, I mean she's my mom, she should always think something of it, especially when it's her fault.

"Yes mama, I understand. I've been a very, very bad girl and deserve to be pulled out of bed an hour and a half earlier than I need to be. Because you're ok with screaming at someone to get them up, which means that you can't be pissed off when I either refuse completely to get up or become a grouchy bitch. Then if you do in any way succeed in getting me to the school, as soon as you leave I can walk home and just go back to bed; or I can sleep in my classes. Second option sounds better, less work, less trouble." I watched her as her face turned red; i swear she almost snarled at me.

"You're going to school whether you like it or not, and if you continue to cut classes and ditch days, I'll let you be arrested for truancy, in the mean while I will take everything away. Your computer, your phone, I won't let you get your car. In fact ill call the DMV and have your license suspended. Just try me child I dare you." She gave me a good long stare that told me she meant business.

"You know in Japan if you don't go to school they just make you get a job. They don't arrest you or anything." I began to massage my shins to make the pain at least start to ebb away when I realized she'd mentioned a car, "You got me a car?" I attempted to get up but the shooting pain from my shins stopped me from accomplishing the feat completely.

She sighed in pure irritation, "We are not Japanese and we do not live in Japan. I was looking at a few, but hell if you're getting anything now." I watched her walk down the hallway before I tried to scramble after her. I limped down the hall willing the shooting pain in my legs to go away.

"What kind of car? You know I want a truck right? A Nissan, with a six cylinder engine a full bed in back and four wheel drive. It has to be-"

"Kelsey I know what you want, now just go to school and we'll see if you get anything, other than a beating." She closed the laundry room door on me and I sighed. I sat on the railing and slid straight down the banister jumping off at the end. Mistake, the moment I landed on my feet my shins sent shots of pain straight to my toes and to my knees, and I gave in to it and fell straight back as my knees buckled. I hissed, and looked at my shins for the first time; dark bruises were on both legs making a near black line across them. I took a deep breath and rubbed my legs trying to ease some of the pain. I watched my brother walk in; he had his car keys, wore his scrubs and smelled like pot.

He stopped in front of me, "what are you doing?"

"Poking bruises." I rubbed my leg again wincing. You always think that the people in movies are exaggerating that getting kicked in the shins hurts like a bitch because their actors. But damn it they might be exaggerating for the sake of the movie but it seriously does hurt!

"Freak." He dropped his keys on the counter and walked into the kitchen.

"Pot head, you got the munchies Luke? Because you know that's frozen, it needs to be cooked first." I watched him shove the hot pocket back into the freezer and open the fridge for something he didn't have to cook. I shook my head in disappointment. "It's amazing you have brain cells left."

"Shut up Kelsey, why don't you go jump off a cliff. Would do everyone a favor."

"Oh, nice come back fuck face, very clever." I got up again; I walked into the kitchen and grabbed an apple. I bit into it looking at the time, 8:49. I tapped the granite counter top and looked outside. It was nearly black with the evening darkness. But then around here that was winter light for you, get dark at 6:00 and stays dark till 8:00. So when summer rolled around and it didn't get dark until 9:00 your schedule gets really screwed up. Made me wonder how Yusuke and his friends were faring. Did the length of their days change like ours did, and if so when they left were their days longer or shorter? Why did I care? Curiosity.

I toyed with my apple for a while then frowned when a chill ran down my spine, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I stiffened and looked at the windows. Something was there, watching, or waiting. But something was there I knew something was there I could feel it. I started shaking I felt hunted. All the lights were on my parents were home; I didn't have a reason to feel so threatened. I wasn't alone. Did they feel it? Did they feel that sinister air just wash through the house?

I left my half eaten apple on the counter and walked into the living room and sat on the couch next to my dad. I sat closer to him and watched the glass door, dogs were inside. They didn't seem bothered by anything, so I tried to relax; the best I could do was sitting stiffly on the couch and stare at the screen blankly. But eventually I couldn't help it anymore, the feeling was still there and it made me sick to my stomach, and jumpy.

"What's wrong pumpkin, you feeling alright?" my father's hand came against my forehead. The classic way to check for a temperature. I tried to smile at him, and did the one thing that was ingrained in me to do when something was troubling me, and that was to hide it and change the subject when hiding it didn't work out to well.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired, did you know mom is getting me a car?"

"Is she now? The way she was ranting and raving when she got home, would say otherwise." I was slightly relieved when my mother came in and closed the blinds.

"She won't be getting anything if she keeps ditching class." And that was my cue to skedaddle.

But of course my brother had to add his say, "don't get her anything mom, she'll just crash it her first day."

"Like you did, oh and the DUI, and the multiple speeding tickets and the-"

"Kelsey! That's enough."

"Eh, fine, be that way." I got up and quickly made my way up the stairs and too my bathroom. I could hear my parents arguing downstairs and my brother insulting me. I listened to my parents' argue about school and about the car, and I closed my eyes. Why was it me that always started the arguments? I turned on the water but as I stripped the feeling of something lurking around outside continuously grew stronger. I got into the shower and curled up into a ball at the bottom. I covered my head and I rocked back and forth whispering 'go away' over and over. I could feel my heart jump and skip beats; I was on the verge of crying when suddenly it went away.

I looked up from my knees and stared at the white tiled wall, it wasn't gone. It wasn't, I just couldn't feel it. It went away too fast; I took a deep breath, trying to get the chill out of my blood. I stood up and thoroughly washed my hair. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe whatever it was is gone, maybe it was nothing. Something deep inside me was telling me it was something. Something to be afraid of. I looked at my hands and frowned, they weren't just shaking but they were dry. I got them wet again under the water and watched the water steam off me.

Well this certainly isn't normal. It's cool, but totally not normal. Maybe it's an optical illusion. The hot water was steaming and it just looked like it was me. Yeah that's it; I washed my hair and my faced and eventually felt safe enough to get out. I looked at the clock in the bathroom and frowned. I was in there for about an hour, why didn't the water get cold. I turned around and pulled the water back on and stuck my hand under it. I pulled my hand back with a jerk and frowned, the water was freezing. How did I stand through that? I must be seriously out of it.

I stood back up and turned around, a loud scream rang from my throat. I pushed myself back up against the shower door and dropped my towel. A monster was in my mirror, no, it was coming out of my mirror! It looked like a mutant spider. A human form with legs and arms everywhere and pinchers protruding from its lip. I wanted to scream again and just keep screaming, feeling my heart turn to rock, i turned to run but I didn't have time. I was on the floor in an instant in a puddle of blood. My throat ripped out.

I snapped awake to pounding on the door. I was gasping and sobbing and blood mixed with the water that pooled around my head. I was shaking and there was a gaping cut across my forehead, but my hand went straight to my throat and I started crying. I scrambled around the floor for my towel and picked it up. I looked up at my mirror, I was pale and bloody but nothing else was there. I shook my head which really didn't do me any good, and turned to the pounding, hearing my dad's voice.

"Kelsey damn it, open the door or I'm breaking it down!"

"You will not break down my door! You can unlock it like a normal person!"

"I'm fine!" I yelled at them through the door but my voice broke and shook. I felt my stomach twist and in less than a second I was leaning over the toilet throwing up my day's food.

"Kelsey open the door, what happened? You screamed." my father's voice broke into my dazed head.

"I'm fine, don't worry, umm, spider. There was a spider." I stood up my legs shook beneath me struggling to hold me up. I ran the water in the sink and washed out my mouth. Next I picked up a wash cloth, wet it and pressed it to my head.

"Kelsey, will you please open the door so we can see for ourselves that everything is ok." my mother pushed into my dad's place I could hear a something scratching inside the lock.

"Damn it…" I quickly opened the door, holding the towel tightly. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I just scared myself. Really bad, there was a spider and the mirror made it look huge, I'm fine." I tried to get by them, but they wouldn't let me pass. I noticed my brother lingering behind them at the stairs. "What happened to her head?"

"Your bleeding, my god Kelsey there's blood everywhere what happened?" my dad held my arm and my mom walked into the bathroom to get a towel to dry the floor with. Damn it why won't they just leave it be?

"I just told you what happened! Im fine, I slipped and hit my head obviously! Im fine, let me go." I tried to pull away from my father but he held me tight.

"You are not fine; now let me see your head." He pulled the cloth away from my head and I felt my skin pull and I winced in pain. "Theresa, look at this. She needs to go to the ER." I groaned and closed my eyes, when she came over.

"I do not, I'm fine, now let me go I just want to go to bed, let me go."

"Kelsey, sleeping for you is the last thing you need to do. You probably cracked your skull. Brad call the school tell them she'll be absent tomorrow she'll most likely be admitted." Enter nurse mode. "I'll get a bag together for you, go get dressed your shoes are down stairs." Then they let me go.

I ran by them and straight to my room. I wasn't fine, they were right about that. What the hell just happened to me? I know I didn't make that up, I know that happened! I looked in the mirrored closet door in my room. Still pale, less bloody; my eyes had darkened.

I sobbed and wrapped my hands around my throat again. I felt it, i felt it happen, and God it was real! I curled into a ball and cried harder than I had in a long time. Fear racked through my body, never had I been so scared. I was hit by a fucking car for Christ's sake! I thought nothing of that, but then again I knew what was going on then. I cringed as those horrid memories came back to me. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and down the hall; I pulled myself up from the floor and got dressed. I didn't want to go anywhere I wanted to crawl into my bed and hide under the covers. But my mom was right, I probably did more damage than I thought, and normally I did a lot of damage.

I grabbed my blanket and walked down the stairs wrapped up in it. I plopped down on the couch and my head spun a bit from the sudden motion. I closed my eyes wanting to sleep but too afraid too. I listened to my parents shuffled around the house, and finally they loaded me up in the car. I wasn't exactly ecstatic about spending my night in the hospital, but at least there were a lot of people around, and free ice cream.

They stuck me in C-Spine as soon as we got there, so not only was I irritated, dizzy, in pain and scared I couldn't move my head in any direction and I had to turn my whole body to look at someone. After so many tests, x-rays and being moved from one floor to the next; they finally left me alone. So I pretended to sleep, to ease my parents. I listened to them whisper, theories back and forth about what really happened because I wasn't afraid of spiders, then more theories about what the results would be how long I'd be here, who would stay, who would work. I was too afraid to sleep, the image of that, demon thing kept popping into my head, then the feeling of my throat being ripped out.

So I laid under my blanket and the hospital blankets basically naked under in the hospital gown. Every once in a while I'd open my eyes to see what time it was. 5:00 rolled around and my mom called my brother to come get my dad. I just listened to my mother whisper to my dad for a while, and then listened to her talk to the doctors. I waited as 6:00 rolled in and 'woke up' as a doctor came to my door. Apparently I'd put one large crack in my skull, my brain sustained no damage. There was no swelling and no bleeding, other than the flesh wound.

He was going to poke around, see if I was in any pain, so he could poke around some more with a scalpel and see how bad it was. I wasn't exactly fond of the idea of being awake during the whole process but apparently they were going to do a local and just numb me. I guess I'll get to find out what it's like to not feel your head. Now that I thought about it that way it was kind of cool. I didn't feel any pain or pressure so he left to get the nurses and my mom left to go to the cafeteria to get some coffee. I watched the clock tick to seven and I picked up my phone to call Nara before class started.

I slipped under my blankets again this time so I wouldn't be heard so easily. I told her everything, from when I got that horrible feeling to when I arrived in the ER, many hours before. It amazed me she didn't try to tell me it was all in my head. In fact I felt safe to say she understood. She talked with me for a while before the bell rang. I felt much better; I lifted my hand to my neck again and shuddered. The images came back to me,

"Nara, Rachel will ask where I am again, so just tell her I got sick ok? I'll tell her the truth when I get back on Monday or if she finds a way to call me herself. I don't want to freak her out; I'm freaked out enough as it is. I really don't need her jumping all over me, with a thousand questions I can't answer. I know she cares, but sometimes she cares too much." I closed my eyes tightly.

"I'll tell her, but only if she asks. Don't worry about anything ok, Suichi just showed up, he's been moved into our group for the semester project, you want me to tell him anything if he asks? I'll make Yusuke help out at the farm this afternoon, so don't worry about that either."

I nodded into the phone, "Thank you, yeah sure, you can tell him." I put my phone down on the side table, and then I sat up pulled down the blankets to look at my shins. I rubbed my skin trying to feel for the bruises, to see if it would hurt. Nothing, no bruises, no pain, no nothing; they were fine. I took a deep breath. At this point I was way too tired to care if I still had bruises or not. I looked up as the doctor came in he had a nurse with him and tray of instruments.

I sat as still as I could, my head felt too heavy for my neck to hold. It was just a few minutes later when he stitched up my forehead and I looked at him.

"Well, child whatever we saw there before isn't nearly as bad as it looked. It's just a small crack and should heal easily on its own. Now just do me a favor and don't hit your head on anything any time soon. And get some sleep, you look exhausted." I nodded to him, I was exhausted and I really wanted to sleep now. I rubbed my eyes, and laid back down on the bed and pulled up my blankets. My mom came back and spoke with the doctor. I fell asleep. I didn't remember getting in the car when it was time to go, or getting up the stairs but somehow I got back in my bed. I slept heavily through the day and well into the night.

Hiei's POV

Babysitting, that's what we're doing. We're babysitting a bunch of humans, with some potential and growing energy. I didn't see what was so damn special about everything. All of these humans had some amount of energy that grew and shrunk throughout the day. Something about hormones and growing, there energy was developing. The older kids had more of it than the younger ones did, the jocks had more than the nerds. I sat in my tree; my eyes closed and watched everything with my Jagan. It wasn't hard to fool the human teachers and manipulate them to mark me down as present.

It wasn't hard to do the same thing to make them think I paid attention in there stupid classes and that work the Rekai did for me was actually mine. I would admit that it was tiring and irritating to use my Jagan 80% of the day, but I began to notice I was learning things, new ways to use it, new and better ways to see things. Training was the only good thing that came from the pointless mission. We were sent here for one girl and now we're watching two. We were sent to watch the one called Kelsey, she was the one the Rekai had tabs on since she was a child.

Apparently what they feared was going to develop was. Her energy was constantly changing, growing. Demon to human, it never stayed. The most dangerous part was that the stupid girl didn't even know what was happening to her. This brought up other questions. Half the time her energy was pouring out of her so demons could sense her from miles away, (giving us some actual work I didn't mind doing) the other half the time it was lowered, hidden so well that a trained B-class demon would have trouble deciphering whether or not she was demon or human. The dangerous thing about it was that her body couldn't decide which was which, and may eventually just rip her apart; destroying her soul.

Then her friend started the same thing, her energy was growing, slowly but it was. For the past few days it began to spike at random and I would, I was able to pick up small changes in her. Her brain waves would change, and the green in her eyes would pale; but only for moments. When I watched her id notice she'd react to it. She would stiffen and watch everything, or she would stare off at something or someone. Her eyes would narrow as if trying to see something. So she knew something had happened. The next time it spiked I guess I could pull my weight and poke into her mind and use my new ability, to see what she sees. Not just hear what she thinks. Even as pointless and slow moving as this mission was, it kept my interest. I could go so far as to say I enjoyed watching them panic and grow frustrated with themselves when those small changes were made.

In fact i had heard of some trouble at one of their houses last night. I didn't inquire as to which girl it was seeing as I'd find out eventually, when I was told the turn out. Kurama and Yusuke and went to see about it, I'd have to speak with one of them and find out. The female Rachel, had a little more of my interest though. She was interesting to watch annoying as she was in every way, always had to say something, know what was going on. Yet at the same time she would sit in a content silence without a need to fill it, she was able to focus on what she was doing without getting herself distracted my small things.

She was also teases often, but not in the cruel way I'm used to. Her friends would poke at her and tease her about things. Her face would turn red, Kurama told me when someone's face turned red and it wasn't from anger it was a 'blush'. Something caused by excitement and or embarrassment. But I wasn't able to tell what it was from because she would strike her friends or hide her face. They spoke of me often enough and something about a crush? What was a crush? Did she want to crush me? That would be cruel; I'd defeat her in seconds; she'd be the one crushed. It didn't seem to me that she wanted to fight me though. She doesn't seem the type to fight at all.

She didn't have the energy type for it. She and her friends certainly didn't speak of it in that manner. When her energy would start to spike id watch her, and when she'd notice her face would turn red and she turn around make that annoying sound with her friends that females had a tendency to make. I think Kurama called it a giggle. I frowned remembering walking down the hallway, a group of girls and stopped talking and watched me. When I was past them they started to whisper, and they did the 'giggle' thing. I easily heard what they were saying; I was 'hot' and 'sexy'. They had 'crushes' on me as well. So obviously they didn't mean it in any sort of combatant sense.

These stupid humans annoyed me greatly. All they ever talked about was sex, other people, each other, movies, music, families, and that's all they ever did was talk. They were back stabbing, lying creatures that never did anything right. They constantly killed each other, betrayed each other no different from other demons. Yet, they thought they owned everything, they were the most powerful, the strongest, boy would they be surprised. Only if they knew what was really out there, that they were the bottom of the food chain for a great many creatures. I would be greatly amused to watch them scramble and scatter then beg for their lives when the realized just that. I hated humans.

I closed the Jagan, and looked around. This land was so different from what I was used to. Not much different from the Makai; but much more different than Japan. This land was bigger, more open. There were fewer buildings, more trees; perhaps the only thing I liked about being here. Kurama said it was because we were out in the country area, if we went into the city it would be different. I guess I just won't go into the city. Cities were loud and obnoxiously annoying. Here – in the country – it was quiet, except for the birds and the other animals, it was quieter than what I've been subjected to elsewhere. I glared at the school grounds as the bell rang and the students filed out of class rooms.

I quickly and easily located Kurama and annoyingly weaved my way through the halls to reach him. According to the school schedule it was 'break', we had 15 minutes to talk before he needed to leave for his next class. "What's the update fox?" I received an almost stern look from him, attempting to remind me where we were and to choose my words carefully. We walked away from the area where most the students were, they called it the 'quad'. I had always thought a quad was one of those motorized things people ride around on, and crash.

"When Yusuke and I arrived at Kelsey's house last night she wasn't home, but there was a Spider demon lurking around outside. It wasn't its energy we felt though, so we searched the house. Her brother was home but he didn't notice us. Most likely because he was high, but we went into her room and it was overwhelmingly thick with emotional energy. Something scared her, and not just a simple fright either, she was scared straight through to her core. I could smell the salt from tears, and I was also able to smell blood. Yusuke found a bloody towel in the laundry room and traced it to the bathroom where traces of powerful psychic energy lingered. I estimated she'd been gone at least thirty minutes.

I frowned deeply, "Psychic energy, and powerful enough to be traced a half hour after she left the area, is serious. Were you able to identify the blood?"

"Hold up guys, you've totally lost me, where did you get the time line from? You didn't like interrogate people right?" Kuwabara was suddenly standing with us and Yusuke beside him. Damn it, they were getting better at masking their energy. I can't let my guard down anymore, I was weakening; I didn't even notice I had it down.

"I know, I was pretty amazed myself when Kurama came up with all the times and stuff. Something about how long the energy traces have been there. Usually if it's weak energy it dissipates or something really fast. But if its energy from a higher class demon the stronger the traces are and the longer it takes for them to disappear. Somehow you're able to figure out how long they've been dissipating for and there's your time line." The detective smiled his stupid grin, he was proud of himself for remembering something; I stayed silent and waited for Kurama to continue.

"Yes Hiei, it was Kelsey's. Yusuke was able to recognize it and he found that the edge of the counter in her bathroom in one spot was bloodied. And Nara this morning told me she was in the ER with a cracked skull. When I asked about it she said a spider scared her when she was getting out of the shower and tripped."

"She was spooked by a spider, and you found a spider demon lurking around the house? I don't think that was just a coincidence." I looked at the big oaf and sighed, we watched a group of students pass and we waited for them to be well out of ear shot before continuing.

"It wasn't, but the timing wasn't right. We confronted the demon first, and we went on about sensing a female demon in the house yet arriving to find nothing but the male human. It turned out he had only been there about twenty five minutes, searching for the female so his needs for blood could be met. We disposed of him after that because he had started to turn on us. Kelsey left 5 minutes before he had arrived." He frowned deeply, he was thinking of something. "And the psychic energy makes me think that maybe, just maybe, she saw something before it happened somehow."

I growled, "Which means Koenma has again not told us everything." Kurama nodded and that obnoxious bell rang off.

"Binky breath says that as soon as the last bell rings he wants us in his office so we can update his reports. So we'll chew him out then. We may even get to watch Boton unleash her fury on him! Ha, I'll have to bring my camcorder." They all went there ways and I scowled at the humans passing by, it was my job to watch the second human girl tonight, apparently I didn't get enough of these lousy humans during the day so I was being subjected to them at night.

This was probably the biggest waste of my time throughout this whole mission. The girl that had shown signs of potential power was doing nothing but fussing with her nails. I could be doing better things right now than watch her decide between the obnoxious color of pink and a painfully neon bright green. To lift the boredom of just sitting here I decided to add on my part and poke around inside her head. She could possibly know something we didn't, so technically I wasn't hurting anything. Not that I'd care anyway. I frowned; there was a small and very weak barrier around her mind. A human trying to protect her mind, please what a waste of their time. I easily pushed past it, the barrier gave away.

She almost instantly became aware of my presence in her mind; she straightened in her seat and stared back at herself in the mirror. "What was that?" her thought echoed through my head as I listened. It's amusing how humans think telepaths "read" minds. No we don't read a person's thought, we listen to their thoughts. No one can read a thought unless it's put down on paper; and then anyone can read it. I growled in annoyance as she went back to deciding which horrid color to paint on her hand. I was half tempted to screw with her, freak her out so she forgot about her nails. But that was below me.

I decided to probe through her current thoughts, "Ugh, my head hurts, stupid headaches, maybe mom will give me some Tylenol. But this doesn't feel like a normal head ache, it feels like someone's cold icy hands are grabbing my brain. I wish it was just go away…" She pushed again; I was more forceful this time, but it still had very little effect. Amused I decided to pick through her thoughts from the day, maybe I could find something useful. "Kelsey isn't here again, what the hell is wrong with her! She should care more about her life and she most defiantly won't have one if she doesn't get a high school diploma. I'm just happy I'm not the only one with this problem; Keiko has to fuss with the same thing with Yusuke. I guess Nara will know, she always knows. She has a phone!" I felt a hot wave of envy wash through me from her, she had transferred emotion through telepathy; and no ordinary human was capable of that. Especially when she was unaware of whom the person was inside her head.

I didn't get any response from her, but she did however bow her head into her hands and massage her scalp. I was half amused, so I picked a bit more, "Why does he keep looking at me? Is there something on my face? I hope Jackie doesn't notice I'm still getting a hard time for having a crush and not doing anything about it. Oh god, I'm blushing again. He's going to suspect something. Why am I so pathetic? At least I'm not seeing lights again, and being all weird around him." Lights? What kind of lights was her seeing?

"She's sick? Why do I have the feeling she didn't tell me everything. How sick is she? I bet that's just an excuse. Nara hardly ever tells me the truth, and why does she always look like she wants to kill me!" bored now that she wasn't responding at all I left her alone. I grimaced as she painted her nails that god awful pink. I stopped watching her getting a head ache of my own. I hated babysitting; and again with the crush thing? Kurama said it meant she liked me. He laughed at me as well while he explained. Not out loud but inside he was greatly amused. This was going to be a long and uneventful night in my opinion. The girl was barely emitting anything but exhaustion.

I wasn't sitting here being a watch dog; I could be doing something worth my time; like training. I couldn't sense another demon above D class around for miles. there was nothing else worth keeping an eye on either, and I wish I had a tree to be in. it would probably be much more comfortable. I noticed the light in her bedroom click off, and then she got into her bed. I watched her for a moment then closed my eyes leaning heavily against her neighbor's chimney since there weren't any trees around big enough to hold me, I was stuck on the roof of the house down from her.

Most of the night had been quiet, except for maybe a few kids sneaking out of their houses to a party, or a car that would go by every now and then. For the most part I was calm and I was tolerant of the current situation. I counted down the minutes to when I would be able to leave for the meeting, and then get back to my training. I was behind because of this mission and having to babysit. With nothing to watch I wasn't able to use my Jagan, and I wasn't going to poke around houses and minds for the hell of it. No matter how often Yusuke told me to, or explained how fun it was; I actually had morals. I also had a tendency to remember everything I see with it. I didn't need useless thoughts and pictures in my head. Just a few hours to go, then her energy started to spike.

I opened the Jagan and slipped easily into her mind, she was dreaming. I watched what her subconscious conjured, at first it was just a normal school day for her, but she was seeing the lights. I understood now what those lights were. Then the dream advanced and changed, her energy changed with it, growing and shrinking. Almost as if it was giving us a message, I frowned deeply as something she dreamed, brought a memory of my too mind. If she believed what she saw, then this mission will be getting a little more complicated. If she told someone, if she told her friend, then the mission will most likely be over. Something like that is capable of triggering several things inside a confused soul.

I let her dream and watched not missing a moment of it, and then I erased it from her mind as she woke up with the sun. I believe I just discovered what's developing. I stood up on the roof and watched as one of Koenma's spies took over and watched the house. I was relieved from the duty and left quickly. I reached Kurama in record time, and waited with him for the detective and the oaf.

"I have news on the girl I was watching. I also have a pretty good idea as to what's wrong, and what's going to happen to the other one." I noticed he and I were the only ones, and that Yusuke seemed to be taking his time getting here.

"As do I, but we'll save it for when we speak with Koenma." A few minutes had passed when the two showed up and the portal opened. We walked straight into Koenma's office and he looked as usual, behind in his work.

Koenma's POV

I hardly noticed my team walk in; as I was busy stamping every paper that was passed under my nose. Never, ever did I ever get a break; I was most definantly speaking to my father about my work load. When I finally cleared a stack of papers on my desk, I looked up and noticed they had all made themselves comfortable. Hiei was leaning on the wall as usual, Kurama was sitting down in a chair I had moved in, and Yusuke and Kuwabara were wrestling on the floor over who got the couch when they both couch have it. I sighed heavily; I stamped more papers ignoring them until they settled their little dispute. When it was quiet I stopped and looked up at them, "are you finished with your horse play?"

"Alright binky breath who the hell calls it horse play anymore? And yes, I'm done beating the crap out of Kuwabara."

"You weren't beating me Urameshi! I would have had you if you didn't go for the cheap shot to my stomach!" and off they went. I sighed and went back to my stamping finishing another stack of papers only to get two more. Botan was supposed to be MY assistant, but ever since Yusuke became my spirit detective she went to him and left me with the ogre who only brought be the papers; and most unorganized as well. Another thing I had to speak to my father about. Kurama was eventually able to calm the squabble without causing a fight, "Are we ready, now?" a grunt was my answer. I wasn't able to stall this much longer so the grunt was a good enough answer for me.

"Alright Kurama, let's start with what you've got to say." I listened as he explained to me the last few days. I frowned when he mentioned the energy changes in both girls, and Hiei butted in (as unusual as that was) to shed some light on the spirit and demon energy changes emitting from Kelsey. She was unaware of her energies that seemed to fighting each other for reign over her.

"so her being unaware of the energies fighting over her is dangerous because it can tear apart her soul? How will her being aware make a difference?" I looked over at Hiei not expecting him to answer the question since he so rarely opened his mouth and of course he didn't mutter another thing and Kurama is the one that spoke.

"The difference is she'd be able to choose one. Making the so called 'fighting' to stop. Her soul wouldn't be pulled apart by the two." I nodded understanding and allowed him to go into detail about the following night. Energy traces in her room, and the bathroom, all the blood, the spider demon. Then he told me what Nara, the girl's friend, had told him. She had gone to the E.R. with a cracked skull, frightened by a spider when she got out of her shower and slipped. When he was finished I held up my hand to keep the silence and I sat back and thought about what I was told for a few minutes.

"However, I don't think she was lying to me, but she also wasn't telling the whole truth."

"Some of it adds up, and some of it doesn't. I'm not much a believer in coincidences, and the two spiders are fishy to me. If Kurama is right which he probably is and the friend didn't tell him the whole story then, Hiei you don't suppose you could tap into her mind to see what really happened? To confirm the psychic possibility." I looked up from my hands to him; his crimson eyes stared coldly at me.

"I've already tried the blond one has too many powerful barriers, i cant get by any of them without her knowledge of my intruision. i'm already sure she noticed i poked a bit. and before you ask about Kelsey's mind, the fox made me look into her after the school was out. She was the same case, but this time i doubt that she was aware of there existence. Both of those girls seem to have been trained."

I sighed heavily, "and that gives me an even bigger knot to untie." I stood up on my desk and paced for a moment. I paused at looked at them, "tell me what we know so far."

Yusuke started, "We know she has demon energy and fangs filled with venom of a common snake from the makai, but we don't know if she has demon blood. So we're not certain if she's like Youko Kurama. A demon using a human form for a while and if so she's not aware of it so it's very unlikely or very odd."

Then Kuwabara gave his input, "We also know she's going through a lot of changes. I mean I've noticed how her eyes change, her temperature and her energy. I'm sensing some serious power coming from her but it kind of feels like it's not quiet hers yet." He looked around the room at the half puzzled looks, "Guys, I mean the power is sitting inside of her sort of detached from the rest of her."

"So you're saying she has power she doesn't know she has, or she has power that isn't hers?" I asked to clear things up.

"Exactly, and that's possibly where her demon energy is coming from." He leaned back heavily into the couch. The room was silent for a while the map on the screen split in two, to show the two girls dots. Even though the map has been inspected and debugged several times the color of her dot hasn't changed. "Has she had any flare ups since that night?"

"Not that we're aware of, and we'd be aware of them, we won't know anything else until she come to school on Monday"

"Hiei, you've been watching Rachel. Tell me what we know?" I settled back into my chair. I knew that Hiei would have much preferred to watch Kelsey. She was our main concern at the moment. I guess it was safe to treat her like a ticking bomb. However Rachel had drawn all out interests, well maybe not all. She had a rise in spirit power, but what caused it is my question. Was she just feeding off her friend, or was it her own power? I waited, starting to get impatient with him.

"She's psychic." Everyone turned to look at him, but he didn't continue.

"Would mind to elaborate?" I tapped my desk with my fingers, I had a lot of work to get to, and a new report to file and these boys were getting on my last nerve with all their riddles.

"It's not like Kuwabara's her Genkai's. She has no 'fighting' spirit, and she doesn't control it, it manifests itself mainly at night. She dreams her visions for now." He didn't say anything else.

"Did she have one of these visions last night while you watched her?" asked Yusuke.

"What do ya she doesn't have a "fighting spirit'?" asked Kuwabara.

"What was her vision Hiei; I might dare say you look slightly concerned. Obviously she did Yusuke or he wouldn't have found out, and some people or demons don't have the right energy to fight. So they don't have any special attacks or tricks. Instead, most of them become healers." Kurama had asked the one he'd answer while answering the rest.

"There's going to be an attack. I don't know when or where, she's not powerful enough to elaborate on that. I don't think she will be for a very long time."

I sat back heavily in my chair, an attack, this soon? Oh my father is going to kill me for not acting on this sooner. "Which girl is going to be attacked? Did she at least elaborate on that one?"

Yusuke sat forward a hand on his knee, "well the more obvious of the two, I'd suspect, whatever it is will go after the most powerful. Meaning Kelsey-"

"If it was going after Kelsey, why would Rachel see it? And won't it make her panic?" Kuwabara cut off Yusuke causing him to get smacked over the head when he was done.

"Don't interrupt me with stupid questions! Rachel has no desirable power that a demon would want, Kelsey on the other hand does. And Rachel probably saw it because Kelsey is her best friend. Damn it Koenma will you ever give us a case that's not complicated?" I glared at him, I gave them the cases that needed to dealt with, sure I gave most of them were given once it was out of my hands and to the point of no return. Which was not my fault; I'm just being cautious and making sure they get the missions that will need there upmost attention.

"Because Yusuke nothing is ever simple, when it concerns the makai and the ningenkai world. Now just keep an extra eye out on both of them at all times so we don't end up failing this mission. You can go now." I pulled a stack of papers in front of me to be stamped but they didn't leave. "What! What else is there?"

"We don't think you're telling us everything there is to tell binky breath. Or did you send us on another blind case?" four pairs of eye's even the crimson ones were staring at me. I felt my face grow hot with guilt.

"Of course I didn't! I only told you what I can-" I was cut off by my once assistant Botan.

"Do you mean to tell me that you've sent out my team on another blind case where you expect them to figure everything out on their own and win!" she was wearing pajama pants and a pink pajama top sporting fuzzy cuffs and a leprechaun on the front carrying gold to a rainbow.

"Um, it's not a blind case; I told them everything I could from the files we've been keeping on the girl since she was eight years old."

"I was here when you briefed them Koenma! You didn't tell them much at all! I want to see those files. I'm going to go get them right now! If I find out this is another blind case and you know nothing more than they do or less I'm going to give you spankings myself!" I stared after her horrified.

"You four may leave now!" I pushed them all out except Hiei who left quietly on his own, although the amusement at my misfortune showed clearly on his face. I flew faster then I knew I was capable of from the office leaving a few bewildered ogres. I had to keep Botan out of the Document room, if she found out this was another blind case I was in for it and my backside was at stake!

I returned to my office, my ears burning from Botan's screamed lecture on blind cases and their dangers. I frowned at the even bigger mountain of papers that were sitting in here from when I left. Ogre stood nearby making sure that no more stacks came in until I had some going back out. I stamped each paper but my mind wasn't on what I was stamping. "George come here." I'm not sure it was his shock from being called by his name or the tone of my voice. But he scurried over and smiled at me.

"Yes sir Koenma sir, anything you need?" the usual Hesitance had disappeared; he was ready to do anything without inwardly complaining about it.

I sighed heavily, "They're wrong about this being a blind case. I spoke with my father and learned about a bit of the Makai's history. I'll be speaking with him again. I'm almost certain I know what's going on with Kelsey, and I don't think her energies, are as Hiei and Kurama say are fighting. I believe they're absorbing each other to become one. Which will make her immensely powerful when they have come together as one; and at her age being unaware, it is dangerous. She won't know how to control her power or be able to comprehend what's going on with her. Her soul is changing with her energy, and I highly doubt she will have anything human about her except her appearance."

George has paled considerably, "but sir, has this happened before?"

I shook my head, "No Ogre it hasn't, which is why it's so concerning, and I'm pressing these boys to get as much as we can on her. I'm no longer worried about Rachel; I know how to handle her." George had began to pull and twist his hands together, his habit when he was nervous. "I'm afraid an attack with speed things up; you see, Ogre when a demon soul or energy is merging with another one, it will do anything to protect its host. Even killing off the energy it's merging with to change faster in order to better be able to protect itself. Kelsey is human born. She isn't a half demon, so it's most important her energies are given all the time they need. The demon energy will kill its human host if forced to protect it."

"Um, sir, why are you telling me this? Why not tell Yusuke and Botan?" he was still twisting his hands.

"Because Ogre, it will be too much for them to have on their shoulders, and it would most likely cause them to treat her differently causing her to become suspicious, confused or hurt. Speeding the process along further; and Botan has a big mouth, she'll blab to anyone. You are the only one I can trust so far."

"Oh, thank you sir, thank you. I'm most honored." He beamed at me from where he was standing in front of my desk. I don't think he quiet understood the seriousness of the case we have. But in time like my team he would.


	5. Chapter 5

Nothing is Forever

Yu Yu Hakusho

CH 5

Koenma's POV

Normally when I send my team out on a case I give them the basics and then let them figure it out from there. I will admit that most of the time it's because I've slacked and don't have much more than that, other times it's because I want them to figure things out on their own. Otherwise how else would they learn? But they think it's because I'm too lazy to figure things out on my own and give them the specifics or the "play by play" as Yusuke calls it. But the reason why I never give them all the details is because each case teaches them what to do. Call it "on the job training". These cases teach them to lean on one another and be a team. But of course I'd never tell them that and if they learned that by now they wouldn't admit it. I'd always watch over them though, keep them safe; but this time was different.

I had to pull my full weight on this one, and that meant talking to my father. In an attempt to avoid speaking with my father; I assembled a team of ogre's to help me. We went through every page in every book in our entire library in the last couple of days. However the outcome was less than satisfying; we couldn't find one single thing on Kelsey's case. Which is why, I have no choice but to pay a visit to my father. I needed to get into the restricted section of the library where our most top-secret information was kept.

And our most trusted employee worked, and as far as I'm concerned she's worked there longer than I can remember, long before I was even born I'm sure. But one look at her and you would never guess that that old lady had some serious power of her own. Of course I would have just sneaked inside like I usually do but I needed time to go through every book and over every page, instead of just grabbing a book and getting out. Also I'm sure I'll need the insight of the caretaker who knew the library like the back of her hand.

Sooner than I liked, I came upon two very large solid Makai oak doors. Unlike the Ningenkai's oak the Makai's was darker in color and not at all brittle. The oak humans grow is a very hard wood, but it's also very brittle so when the wood becomes water logged or weighed down by something the branches crack and break. The trees these doors came from would probably be able to hold up this castle with ease. I paused for a moment before them and just admired the crafts man ship that went into carving these large doors. Now only if these doors were able to keep my backside from being bruised.

I pushed through the heavy doors that opened easily into his throne room. "Father, I've come to speak with you." I stopped in front of him and bowed though it didn't matter much because I was the size of his big toe and just standing there from his view was a bow enough. I wasn't in the mood to play games and grovel like a servant. I looked over to George who was laying on his belly face down and shaking.

"Koenma, how is your team coming along with that mission? I believe by now that everything should be under control." His voiced boomed loudly through the half empty room. I watched as two ogres came in and shook in fear. Sometimes I wondered if my father made himself appear normal, that less of his employees would shake in fear of him whenever they saw his shadow. But he had a thing for appearing like the almighty.

"The mission is moving along fine father, I gave you the last report. I need your permission to go into the restricted section." I folded my hands behind my back, whether he gave me permission or not, I planned on going into that section.

"Why do you need to go into that section? You know you are not allowed." His voice carried a heavy suspicious note.

"I know I'm not, which is why I am asking; and I should be allowed, I'm old enough. Your rule of keeping me out is ridiculous. When my team was fighting the Four Saint Beasts, you had 4 volumes of information on them in there that I could have used to help my team defeat them faster and come out with much less bruising. I have put more time and effort into my team and these missions than you have; I need to be allowed into those sections so I stop sending them out on blind missions!" I was getting angry, I was his son and he was keeping me out of what I should be allowed in. Besides, less blind mission means less Botan beatings.

"Well by the sound of it you have already been entering the section, or Lilina has been neglecting to keep her loose tongue in check." He shifted making the ground vibrate under the stress. I bit my tongue maybe if I stayed in line this time he would let me, and my back would survive.

He sighed again and I could feel his eyes burning through me, "Fine Koenma, if this is that important then you may go through those volumes. But I warn you, they are in the restricted section for a reason." He leaned forward bending down to where he could see me more clearly while he spoke. The floor creaked in protest. "Very dangerous and sickening things are in those books."

"Yes father I'm aware of that. Just as you've guessed I've been sneaking into that library for years. I don't have a weak stomach, and I don't plan on handing out the volumes to demons who ask." I spat the words because that's probably exactly what he thought of it. I had enough of him and his arrogance. I thanked him and turned on my heel and walked out of the throne room, the heavy doors closed behind me and I went straight to the library's restricted section.

I walked farther and farther downward until I was certain we were rather deep underground. Then I began to weave through the maze of shelves of books. Soon enough I made to the back where two very heavy concrete doors stood locked together. I had long ago stolen the pass code from my father's desk, and he has never changed it. I had to admit though; it wasn't much fun coming in here with his permission. Breaking in and having to sneak around was much more fun, but at least I didn't have to worry about spankings when I was caught. And just as I passed through the doors I was.

"Koenma, you are not allowed in here and you know it! I should pattle your behind all the way back up to your desk!" a plump short woman with graying dark brown hair came walking up to me her half moon glassing sliding down her nose.

"Aunt Lil, I have permission to be down here. If you don't believe me then go speak to him yourself." She stopped and looked at me, "I need some information for my boys. They're on another mission and this time I would like to be a little more help, and in the process educate myself." I passed her and began to search through the sections.

"Koenma is there anything in particular that you are searching for? Is this about the Ice Maiden we've discovered in that awful humans hand?" my aunt walked up next to me and out of habit she inspected books and dusted them. I looked at her half surprised?

"How do you know about Yukina?" which was a stupid question because my father had his reasons for worrying about a lose tongue. She was the worst gossip in all three worlds and I highly doubted there was one thing going on that she didn't know about.

She gave a knowing smile and stood up a bit straighter, "darling there is little I don't know about." I had to battle a smile because she repeated my own thoughts. "Now is there anything you want in particular?" I looked over the massive shelves and the long rows and the millions of titles.

"I need information on souls and spirits that have…mutated…I guess you could say."

"What do you want to know about mutant spirits and souls?" she turned her dark brown eyes at me and gave me a stern withering look.

"It's not what you think Auntie; it's just research for my team as I said. They are watching a young woman by the name of Kelsey Winebarger. She is American and she has the most peculiar case." I picked a book at random and flipped through the pages of rather disturbing illustrations but I wasn't going to let a single word get by me. I got in here now I was going to spend my time in here until I had what I needed.

"Koenma it worries me when you're being responsible, it's so unlike you but perhaps I could help. I know these volumes like the back of my hand." She took the book from me and placed it back on the shelf. "If you want spirits and souls our records are over here. They are sorted by time and are alphabetized and you better keep it that way." She patted my head and started off, "let me know if you need something dear." I nodded and watched her go.

I sighed in relief and started to dig messily through the files looking for something or anything remotely familiar to this case. That's when I came across Ceasa, a rather infamous snake demon with an uncommon powerful psychic ability. I remembered her faintly mostly due to all the trouble she wreaked over the Makai. I pulled her file (which was thick and heavy) and began to read through it.

She was at the time known as walking poison, she collected everything poisonous and she knew probably more about plants and herbs than Kurama does (which says something but I'm pretty sure most of the ones she knew of were rather deadly). Didn't the poison Yusuke collect come back positive as snake venom? I sighed and rubbed my forehead. There was a reason I made Botan and George do all the research; all this thinking and reading made my head hurt.

Perhaps through it was just a coincidence; after all there was nothing special about her venom. It was a common snake venom. Kelsey also hadn't showed any more demonic power since then, and in that one moment no one paid attention to what type of demon energy it was. I groaned in annoyance, why didn't I ever have easy non-complicated assignments. I looked back at the file and flipped through the pages.

Ceasa created poisons and just absorbed them so she could use and make them at will. Once she had a poison in her system she would always have it. Her body didn't need the mixes and she could mentally choose which poison she wanted like she was picking a recipe to use. I frowned; she was only a few years older than Hiei when she was killed. But many people believed that she hadn't died, her best friend had been the phoenix.

I looked up and stared at the wall for a moment. Hadn't the phoenix been a woman named Kendala. And if I my memory serves me right (which I'm sure it does) she died around the same time. But a new phoenix never appeared which had never happened before; which also means that she technically didn't die. Hm, I should make a mental note to look into that.

"Ceasa, as much of a nuisance as you were for me; you've got my attention for some reason." I stuffed her file in to my bag and returned to my search through the files to find any demon that was remotely similar to this case. Perhaps I should search through the human files as well. Not finding anything remotely interesting or common to Kurama's case I stuffed everything back into their place.

I sighed heavily, and moved down along the rows. Where were the human files? I found my way to a large filing cabinet, again all alphabetical and dated. That woman must be O.C.D. or something. But at least it came in handy; too bad nothing was labeled "Human's with demon souls". That would have been so much easier. The closest thing they had was "Human's turned demon" and the "Mystery" file that I preferred to stay away from. I didn't need any more cases at the moment.

"Koenma sir why aren't you in your office! Some kind of alarm has been blaring for the last five minutes!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Botan appeared waving that damn oar around. Alarm? What alarm I don't reme- uh ho. "Why didn't you tell me sooner Botan! You'll get Spankings for this! Oh and go through these files and see what you can find on Kelsey!" without looking twice at her I flew as fast as I could up and out of the library and straight to my office.

The blaring alarm and the flashing screen both gave me an instant head ache and I punched the button and the alarm instantly silenced. I rubbed my temples and looked up at the screen again. I sighed and watches as Kelsey's wave lengths came in erratic patterns. "Ogre! Go take over Botan's job and send her up here immediately!" I sat back in my chair and watched with growing impatience and annoyance as other ogre's started pouring in with paperwork. I sighed and called Yusuke on his communicator and impatiently waited for him to answer.

"What do you want Binky Breath?" Yusuke's face flashed over the screen and it took almost everything I had to not yell at him and waste time.

"Go to Kelsey's her energy is chaotic again. You were able to smooth her over last time so go do it again." I ordered him as Botan walked in.

"Sure thing." He answered and the screen went blank.

"I need you to send a video with Hiei to give to Yusuke when he's done with, and then tell him he has the night off. Another of our Psychics is watching Rachel. We have a small side case for Yusuke." I sighed heavily and leaned back into my chair when she left. I looked next to me and stared at the growing pile of papers and then leaned forward with my stamp.

Kelsey's POV

"Mom! I'm fine! Leave me alone!" I screamed to the other side of the bathroom door. I really wanted to take a shower and get the hospital essence off me. I smelled far too strongly of sanitizer and saline for my taste.

"Then unlock the door! I still don't trust you enough to leave you alone! What if you pass out again?" she yelled back and I heard the scratching in the doorknob that meant she was using a paperclip to unlock it from the outside. Oh how I wished that we had dead bolts instead. I moved my foot against the door kicking it with enough force to make sure my mother knew it was there.

"I didn't pass out! I saw a massive monster of a spider and freaked out! I slipped! There is a big difference! Now leave me alone!" well actually, I did pass out and I do believe it was from fear of the…spider thing…in my mirror. However my mother did not need to know that and maybe just maybe my mother would buy this version of my spider story and leave me alone.

"Kelsey, why won't you just leave the door unlocked?" did she seriously have to ask?

"Because Luke doesn't knock and I'm going to be naked. Because I'm taking a shower. Because I'm fine; because I want some privacy. Because it's my bathroom; PICK ONE!" I kept my foot against the door and waited to see if she would go away.

"Kels-"

"Oh for the love of God! Mom it's just a shower! Leave me alone, please!" Did I beg? I believe I just begged. And if that didn't work I'd never get my shower.

"Fine Kelsey, but if you're not out in ten minutes I'm coming in." I heard her pull away from the door.

"Or you could knock!" I sighed heavily and relocked the door and turned on the shower. It's been this way ever since I got home. She woke me up every hour to make sure I knew my name. She constantly asked me questions; she took time off work so I wouldn't be alone. And now she wouldn't even let me take a damn shower. I really couldn't wait for school tomorrow (as odd as that is). I knew she wouldn't follow me there. Or would she?

I sighed in blessed relief as the hot water poured over my skin. My muscles relaxed and it felt as if I'd just dropped a very heavy weight. The cold had never really bothered me before. In fact I always enjoyed it. But now for some reason it was freezing me up, and it hurt to move. Almost like when you grip something for too long and your fingers don't want to move back into their normal position. I jumped when a loud knock sounded on the door.

"Kelsey?" then I heard the scratching in the lock and I growled in irritation.

"MOM IM FINE! For heaven's sake! Go look for Luke's pot stash or something!" I listened to her sigh and leave again. I had a feeling she was remembering my schizophrenia years. When I used to see monsters all the time in the windows and mirrors and shadows. I quickly washed and got out before came back. I turned on the overhead heaters because the chill settled in my bones again. I raked a brush through my hair.

I took the time and French braided my hair, (something I newly picked up and did for the sheer fact that I was able to do it) then picked up my towel and looked back into the mirror and froze. I swear if I didn't know any better the steam that reflected actually looked like fire. I watched it for a long time, and I soon got the feeling it wasn't the steam. I felt my heart rate pick up and try to jump out of my chest. I saw shapes in it, birds and dragons (or really big lizards) and then a fox. My blood ran cold as I watched it. I remembered that fox. It had three tails, though somehow I knew it had more. And it was sitting in the middle of the mirror, the most clear against the smoke or steam or whatever it was.

Suddenly my heart clenched in my chest with a longing ache. I reached out to it and felt the cool glass of the mirror and felt sadly broken with despair. Then I snapped out of it and fought against the urge to smash my mirror seeing as it never helped before but I hated that fox. This wasn't the first time I'd seen him.

After that I quickly left my bathroom and locked myself into my room. I was not going to let this get to me again. I let it rule my life once but not again. After leaving the warmth of the bathroom I started shivering again. I dug through my drawers and pulled out a pair of sweat pants and a long sleeve sweater. I then pulled on my favorite pair of toesy socks. I moved over to my bed and laid down laying my arms over my eyes. The silence beat into my head, I couldn't sleep and I couldn't stop myself from thinking. Funny how silence did that to you makes your past and problems just bubble up inside you.

Why was this happening again? Involuntarily my thoughts turned to my past. "Because you stopped your medication." My head answered me. "I didn't want to take it anymore." I replied.

"Yes well that's why it's happening again. If you want it to stop then take your pills." My head said back to me. But I didn't want to take stupid anti-depressants anymore. I wasn't going to take medication my entire life. The doctors said that it was normal to need it for a few years due to trauma from the accident. Then again they also wanted to kidnap me and treat me like a guinea pig. I bet if the government knew about my healing record (which part of me figured they already did) they'd come get me and throw me to the scientists too.

The doctors this time had said the same thing as they did then (and every other time I ended up in the hospital due to my accident prone being). It was astonishing at how fast I healed. The x-rays they took when I first came in showed clearly skull fractures above my eye and then when they took x-rays again hours later it was only a small line hardly noticeable. The gash I also received was still there but it was just a cut. I involuntarily ran a finger along the fine line. I remembered the time when I was twelve; I crashed my bike into a tree and broke both my arms. Instead of three months in casts I suffered one month. Also there was the time I fell off the fence (in my defense it fell apart causing me to fall). The splinters, or wood chips more like, that filled my hand and my thigh took care of itself in hours.

I should have had surgery to remove them but they decided to come out on their own. I didn't even need stitches. And then before all this when it started, was the accident. I remember the doctors talking, and the media. They all said I should have died too. I winced remembered the twisted metal and the broken glass. I remembered clearly the shocked pain and the weight of the car as it rolled over me. And I remembered the floating feeling as the muffled sounds of people and cars and sirens that still seemed way too loud. The deafening silence after the ambulance came. After I woke at the hospital they told my mom I shouldn't even be alive.

I cried out in frustration and sat up. I didn't need these memories! I stood up and paced my room for a moment then looked at a corkboard pinned to my wall. I stared at the picture of me standing in the kitchen when I had come home. I was bruised and wrapped up in a few places and I wasn't smiling. I moved back to my bed and sighed, in fact I'm pretty sure they had told my parents that I _had_ died. The way my mother cried for weeks and the way my father would hug me for long periods of time seemed a little strange.

What was even more strange was the fact my brother was actually nice to me for a short term afterward. But he never acted the same; he was always cautious and kept his distance. Sometimes I thought the same thing when I later learned the extent of my injuries. I left with a concussion I came in with a crushed skull (or so they had assumed in the ambulance). Most of my ribs and my arm were broken; my shoulder was dislocated. Glass was imbedded just about everywhere. I had only God knows how many stitches.

I had typical injuries of a young girl that had the full weight of a car roll over her. So maybe I shouldn't be alive. Why did May have to die and not me? I shook my head to get rid of the nightmare. That was the last thing I wanted to relive. But I just had. I found myself crying and shaking and old pains returning and I rolled over and curled up. Once I had it through my system I continued to lay there feeling numb. I had more pressing matters to think about right now. Like seeing Rachel tomorrow and trying to convince her that I was fine. Which I had a feeling would be harder than convincing my mom I was fine enough to take a shower by myself.

I looked over at my own mirror, half expecting to see that demonic monster. But it wasn't there. Only my reflection, my eyes were red and dark my cheeks were streaked and I was pale. I wandered if the monster had ever been there. Maybe I was going mad; I smiled bitterly at the thought of going back to a psychiatric hospital. My mother would love that; she went through her phases just like I did. She went through the over protective phase after the accident, then she withdrew into herself, then she turned to her work. Now she's becoming over protective of me again. This most likely meant I wasn't going to get my truck.

I shuddered. I got up again and rubbed my eyes furiously, I didn't want those memories in my head. But I couldn't help but think about them now. I saw monsters then too. In mirrors and windows, in nightmares. But the nightmares always felt so damned real, like they were memories instead of just images my subconscious created. Why was this happening to me! A sudden rage washed through me. What did I ever do to deserve this! I swiped my arm over my desk, my lamp a picture frame and a book crashed to the floor. The sound of smashing ceramic from my lap washed my anger from and left me feeling empty. What was wrong with me? I was so absorbed in my thoughts and personal nightmares I never noticed when my window opened and closed. Which is why I jumped three feet in the air when someone grabbed me.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" I blinked dumbfounded when I noticed Yusuke curled up on the floor holding his bleeding nose. I think I may have punched him.

"Uh, sorry! You scared me!" I grabbed my towel and gave it to him so help stop the bleeding. "I'm sorry Yusuke, I didn't hear you come in and I was thinking. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I should have known better anyway, you were snarling at your lamp. Where did you learn to punch people like that?" he held the towel against his face and he gingerly felt around his nose to see if it was broken.

"Kick boxing." I took the towel from him and frowned. He was going to have a nasty bruise but otherwise it was ok.

He looked at me and blinked, "kick boxing? You kick box?"

"Yeah kind of, you know you're lucky." He gave me a look and laughed.

"Yeah, how so? I don't find getting punched by a kick boxing girl lucky." I glared at him.

"You're lucky because normally when I punch people I at least break their nose." I felt really bad for punching him in the first place that didn't mean I wouldn't take offence to being referred to as a stereotypical girl, that can't punch. I was beginning to feel like I should have broken his nose. "What are you doing here anyway? And how did you get in?"

"Through your window. What's wrong with me being here? You never minded before!" he looked mock offended and I frowned. He was right I never did care if he was here or not.

"I don't mind. I'm sorry but I'm just not having a very good weekend. Which I'm sure you heard. How did you come through my window? I'm on the second story!" I opened my window and shivered at the gust of cold air then forced my head out. I was shocked momentarily at the sight of the green vines I never noticed before. "Did you use the ivy to climb up?"

He scratched his head and smiled "Yeah kind of. And I've heard lots of things. Why don't you tell me what happened." He crossed his arms and made himself comfortable on my bed. I closed my window and sighed I grabbed a blanket and sat next to him.

"What have they come up with this time? Tell me what you've heard and I'll tell you what happened?" I had a feeling anything he said wouldn't surprise me.

"Doesn't matter, I'm sure you've heard it all the before. All I'm interested in is what really happened." He watched me closely as I stayed silent for awhile.

"A spider scared me when I was getting out of the shower. I slipped and hit my head." I leaned back against the wall and I wouldn't look at him. I placed my attention on my chipping nail polish.

"You're lying, or at least you're not telling me the whole truth. It's me Kelsey, what really happened?" he looked at me with a hard and serious look. He was looking believably concerned. I frowned and wandered if I could tell him or not. I told Nara, but could I tell him? Nara knew about my past then again so did Rachel and I was avoiding telling her. They only knew because they were around when I became a traumatic mess. I barely knew him but already it felt like he'd been around my whole life. If I told him I would have to tell him everything else. Then how would he treat me? I couldn't bring myself to dig up those secrets. Not this soon.

I liked Yusuke and I wanted to keep him close for as long as I could. "Sorry Yusuke, but that's what happened. Believe it or not but I'm afraid of spiders. I couldn't kill one to save my life but I don't like them. I saw one in the mirror and it looked massive and transfigured and it's scared me." He gave me that hard look again; I felt like he was trying to dig into my soul and I inched away from him. "Bathroom floors aren't the sturdiest of floors. They get slippery." With Yusuke I felt like I was trying to convince myself more than I was trying to convince him. I hope to God that didn't show on my face. So just in case I looked away again.

He sighed and leaned back across my bed, he placed his hand behind his head, "fine, but you've been crying. Would you like to enlighten me on that?" I scowled and threw an old teddy bear at him.

"Leave me alone. You're worse than my mother." We frowned at each other for a while. Eventually it became a game; who could frown at each other the longest, then who could keep a straight face the longest. An hour later it wound down to a plain staring contest.

"Blink." I told him think that it would make him do so.

"I'm not going to lose I can go a long time without blinking. I've had lots of practice." He leaned forward and widened his eyes as if to make his point. I lifted my hand and smacked the side of his head making him blink. "Ow!"

I laughed, "I win!" I did a little dance on my bed then spotted a black blur outside my window that was gone when I turned to look.

"Cheater, anyway I have to go." He was staring out the window. I frowned at him and looked out the window as well. "Can't you stay a while longer?" I didn't want to be left alone with my thoughts.

"Eh, I could. But the family I'm staying with was kind of mad when I stayed over last week and didn't tell them. So I should probably get home earlier to appease them." I nodded and sighed. Maybe I could call Nara and see if she could come over, knowing how much Rachel's parents hate me I can't ask her. He opened my window to make his way out and a rain chilled wind instantly blew in.

"Hey before you go take a jacket since you decided not come over with one." I got up and forced my chilled knees to bend and got one of my jackets. "Don't worry about it being girlie it's all black. " I smiled when he dramatically sighed in relief and put it on. My smiled only lasted a few minutes after he was out of sight on his bike.

Nara's POV

I leaned against the railing of my apartment. I inhaled the wet air and the scent of rain and smiled. I loved this weather, it reminded me of home. I held my hands out over the railing and cupped them together to catch the drops. I brought it back to my mouth and drank the cool fresh water. The wind blew back against me and knotted my hair but I didn't mind. I wanted to strip and run out to dance in the down pour. But seeing as how I lived in a public housing development where privacy lacked greatly I couldn't. I winced hearing my mother come out of her room slamming the door.

"Damn it Nara is freezing in here! Close the damn door and turn on the heater!" the chair in front of the T.V. squeaked in protest when she sat down in it. I heard the news come on and I sighed heavily. Great now I get to listen to her bitch about the world.

"Yes mother." I regretfully went inside closing and locking the door behind me. I closed the blinds so little light could filter in. I hated how dark this awful apartment was, but my mother insisted on keeping dark so I little choice. I turned on the heater and ran my hand through my hair and went to my room before she could order me to another task that she was too lazy to accomplish herself. I locked the door and sighed. I picked up my phone and noticed a missed call. Kelsey.

I frowned; I decided not to call her back. I didn't want to deal with her right now. I hated seeing so much of 'her' in my friend's eyes. I hated hearing how alike they were. I looked down at my hands and made a face. I was so tired of this human body and this human life. I wanted to go home; I longed to go home something fierce actually. But I knew I couldn't, I had to stay and watch her. I was becoming impatient though. When would she wake up, damn it she almost did before and then they put her on pills and put her in a hospital. Those stupid humans ruined everything!

Ever since she began taking the pills I couldn't reach her mind. However lately I knew she had stopped, she was still blocked. Had she woken up anyway? It was easy to tell that she still doesn't know what she is; what's inside of her. But seeing as to what she's told me, and the strange things she's done; she was waking up again. Either way it won't matter in the end. The human will be dead. My chest tightened at that thought. I didn't want her to die. Had I somehow come to care for the poor human girl?

"Nara! Get out here and make me something to eat!" I rolled my eyes and got up from my bed. Why doesn't the old fat hag get off her lazy ass and make her own damn food. I walked into the kitchen and pulled out a pot and started to boil water. I then pulled out a couple boxes of pasta. While waiting for the water to boil, I did the massive pile up of dishes on the counter. I can't wait for that woman to take the nightshift again. The less of that woman I had to deal with the better.

I froze and stood up straighter. Someone was trying to get into my mind. It didn't feel threatening though, and it was familiar. The same person tried to get into my mind on Friday. Before I could grab hold of energy and find out who it was they were gone. I scowled at the dishes and quickly finished them. I poured the noodles into the water and stirred them every once in a while. I have to start watching people from now on. I already knew that Rachel was a problem, giving comfort to Kelsey making her awakening slower. Although if I nudge some of her emotions in the right direction she'll start to hate Kelsey.

I smiled; Rachel will blame her for all her family problems. She'll be sick of all her problems. Also that stupid girl has developed spirit powers. I don't know of what kind but I see the lights in her eyes. Then there were these new guys. It was clear a few of them had spirit energy. This may be harder than I thought. I gave the food to my mother and returned to my room. I wanted to go home more than anything. My I needed Kelsey to do that. My eyes widened when a more than familiar presence pushed into my barriers. It was seeking permission and I was curious as to who it was so I gave in to it.

"Hello Shekoda. At last I've located you." The strong male voice from my past shocked me into silence. Also it filled me with fear I instantly regretted opening my mind to him. Although in the end it didn't matter. He would have destroyed my barriers getting through.

"It seems that my dear brother has located his lost birdie. He doesn't know of you of course. That would be disastrous. So I need your help, and you have little choice but to give it."

I gaped into the empty space above my bed. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, he was right that I had very little choice. "What do you want me to do, Zuzta?"


End file.
